


Ox Queen

by MinyaPaws



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Awesome Bulma Briefs, Babysitting, Bargaining, Blonde Launch (Dragon Ball), Blue Launch, Bulma is still queen, But a cute shithead, Chibi Trunks being a shithead, Child Son Goten, Claiming, Claiming Bites, DBGT, DBZ, Db Super - Freeform, Dirty Talk, Double Penetration, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, FUCK, Fake Namek, Family Feels, Find Out Next Time on Dragon Ball Z, First time Fan Fic, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Food, Forest Sex, Friends to Lovers, Future Trunks Briefs Needs a Hug, Future Trunks POV, Future Trunks is also bad at feelings, Future Trunks is the one giving the hugs, Gen, Gohan is wise, Goku Black - Freeform, Goku has daughters, Goku's perspective, Grieving, Hurt/Comfort, I'm throwing us into angst territory, Implied lime, Kid Son Gohan, Kingdoms and politics, Kitchen Sex, Knifeplay, Lemon, Literally all of the hugs, Masturbation, Masturbation Interruptus, Masturbation in Shower, Might fuck with Heroes, Mild BDSM, Mostly Canon Relationships - Freeform, Movie: The Tree of Might, Multi, Music, Nappa gets weird, Nappa is a dick, No Apologies, Nostalgia, Not Actually Unrequited Love, OC kicks ass, Oozaru, Ox Kingdom, POV Gohan, POV Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Planet Namek, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Roshi not being a pervert for five minutes, Saiyan Biology, Saiyan Culture, Saiyan Instincts, Saiyans Still Have Tails, Seduction, Slow Burn, Smart Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Son Family Craziness, Son Gohan needs a hug, Son Goku (Dragon Ball) is Kakarot, Son Goten is adorable, Sparring, Subterfuge, Sweet/Hot, Swordplay, Time Travel, Top Trunks Briefs, Training, Turtle School, Underage is Actually 16, Vaginal Fingering, Vegeta (Dragon Ball) Being an Asshole, Vegeta is Bad at Feelings (Dragon Ball), Vegeta is a good papa, Vegeta silently approves, War is bad, We're going from Saiyan Saga through GT, Yamcha is okay, as titles, characters are smarter than in the original, chi-chi is bipolar, don't judge me too hard, drinking with Bulma, feed - Freeform, getting AU, goku vs vegeta, hunting for dragon balls, ki supression, learning ki, little demi saiyans, master piccolo, oc is a smartass, oc is not a mary sue, pilaf gang - Freeform, red ribbon army - Freeform, sad boy Mirai, saiyan saga, sweet boy Mirai, tea names, theres more food than fighting or sex, three f's: fight, warfare, with sword
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:15:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 88,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25388890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinyaPaws/pseuds/MinyaPaws
Summary: “Come here,” he whispered.She shook her head, tears still dripping from her eyes. Her inner beast, however, roared at her hesitation.We will hurt again…yet other words rolled around her mind.Safe. Comfort.Mate.No, the human side of her mind croaked.“Chai,” he whispered, thumbs running over the tears that fell on her cheeks.Tiring of being on the sidelines as Ox Queen, Son Chai trains her sister, Tsuchi to take the throne.Super: Goku Black Saga - GT.This is slow burn romance that explores a few different relationships and characters, and switches focuses along the way.I really hope you guys enjoy.Rate and review, please and thank you!
Relationships: Android 18/Krillin (Dragon Ball), Bra Briefs/Son Pan, Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Bulma Briefs/Yamcha, Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Future Trunks Briefs/Future Mai, Future Trunks Briefs/Original Female Character(s), Launch/Tenshinhan (Dragon Ball), Trunks Briefs/Original Character(s), Videl Satan/Son Gohan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE: NEW FIRST CHAPTER!!!
> 
> UPDATE: I will be rewriting this story over the next few months. Nothing too drastic - mostly sentence level changes. The biggest change will the the removal of the flashbacks which will be rewritten for "Path of Fire".
> 
> Thank you for your patronage.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a prologue that I added to Ox Queen. I want to dedicated this to RoyalBlueRoses, my wonderful beta who has shown me a lot of patience throughout the way so far and has worked with me to try to bring out the best things in my stories. Her work is absolutely amazing and you need to check her out.

Age 779, Early November

It was a beautiful crisp morning at Mt. Paozu, and Son Tsuchi looked absolutely ridiculous. 

“Again, why must I do this?” the girl asked, raising her right leg in front of her. Her posture was stable, at least as far as balancing on a rock was concerned. The books stacked on her head, however, wobbled precariously.

Her older sister, Chai, couldn’t decide if she thought the prospect of hopping rocks with books on your head was more insane, or that Mama was making the 12-year old do it in a dress. Specifically, an old Chinese hanfu with big billowy sleeves and a skirt threatening to trip the girl onto her face. 

_I don’t remember having to do this._

“You will one day be the Ox Queen,” Chi-Chi scolded. “You must be an image of beauty and grace.”

“You must also punch boys in the face!!” Chai shouted as Tsuchi hopped to her first rock. She stumbled forward but regained her balance and caught the first book that slid from her head.

Chi-Chi glared over at her oldest child, as Chai smiled and tipped her head onto the woman’s shoulder. Being the same height made that incredibly easy. “Love you Mama.”

“Oh I love you dearly, Chai-chan. I don’t know how you turned out so mouthy, though.”

Tsuchi hopped the next rock more successfully as Chai straightened back up. “Must be the Ox blood.”

The girl got to her fourth rock and lowered her leg before placing her hands behind her back and carefully bowing to the other two. Her straight black hair nearly grazed her feet as she did so. 

“Now go back through and recite all Twelve Kingdoms,” Chai instructed.

“Sissy!!!” Tsuchi whined.

The demi-saiyan raised her dark eyebrows into her wild bangs and lost her smile as she stared down at her baby sister. Tsuchi and Goten were twins, seventeen years younger than Chai. Eighteen, if you counted the year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. 

“You were the one that wanted to do this, Princess,” Chai calmly told her.

The girl sighed. “Yes, Your Majesty.” She regained her posture and hopped to the first rock. “Sheep, Rat, Dog…” As Tsuchi rattled off the Twelve Kingdoms, Chai thought back to their conversation the week prior. 

_“Sister, may I talk to you?” Tsuchi asked, looking up at her._

_“Of course,” Chai replied_

_Tsuchi gave herself a moment, looking between her sister and the floor before speaking. “I.. umm… I wanna be queen…”_

_The woman blinked at the girl. “A teen, right? You said ya wanted to be a teen.”_

_Tsuchi looked away. “.. queen…”_

_“I’m still not hearing you.”_

_“Queen!!!” Tsuchi squealed, then sighed. “I want to be queen.”_

_The end of her tail flicked as Chai eyed her sister. “Thank you, but I’m not dying.”_

_“No, but you do go to war often. You could die. And you don’t have a successor.”_

_“Which Mama never lets me forget.”_

_“Maybe she’d stop if you begin preparing me for rule. You started only a year younger than I am, and began ruling right after Papa died. I could start when I’m 19, and it’ll be the same amount of time as you had. Seven years.”_

_Chai had to be honest, getting Mama off of her back would be nice. Still…_

_“It’d be good to have a successor prepped, I’ll give ya that. It’s hard though, Tsuch’. It’s a lot of decision making, diplomacy, thousands of people depending on you, and sometimes it’s war. You think you could stomach sending hundreds to fight, possibly die?”_

_“I think…” the girl looked away._

_Chai sighed. No way. Tsuchi was sweet and soft, like Gohan. I absolutely love her, but she doesn’t have the spine._

_“IthinkIwouldbebetteratdiplomacythanyouare.” She said in a quick manner that was barely discernible._

_“What was that, Namekian?” Chai asked_

_Tsuchi looked away from her.“I think I’d be better at diplomacy than you….”_

_Chai crouched before her sister and palmed the girl's cheek so Tsuchi had no choice but to face her. “Look at me and say that.”_

_The girl looked up, peering through bangs which were reminiscent of their mother’s. Her dark eyes were glassy, and for a moment, Chai thought she was going to run away crying._

_“I would be better at diplomacy than you.”_

_The words were nearly whispered, but Tsuchi didn’t look away. Chai held her gaze, frown clear on her features._

_That took some fucking guts. The youngest Son girl never spoke her mind other than to Goten and Trunks. Mama could be so overbearing, and though Papa encouraged his children to speak up, he tended to let his wife dominate the household. Gohan was easy enough to talk to, and most of the twins' lives Chai was around. She played, cuddled, told stories, and taught them, sure, but Sissy was different from Queen Chai. No one told Queen Chai shit._

_Except Tsuchi just did._

_The woman smiled. “Maybe I can make a queen outta you.”_

Tsuchi landed back on the rock she started on. “...Horse, Ox, Monkey.”

Two small ki’s sped towards the Son women. Chai looked up and smiled as Goten-kun and Trunks-kun landed before her and Chi-Chi in a cloud of dust. She chuckled at the leaves in their hair and clothes, both chests heaving as the boys no doubt had raced to see who would arrive first. It was a much friendlier rivalry than their fathers had. At least the demis would admit they were friends. 

“I see you boys took the scenic route,” Chai greeted as her mother brushed dirt off of her dress, eyeing her youngest son.

“It’s too easy to _just fly_ here from West City,” Trunks boasted.

“We wanted to race to see who could run here the fastest!!!” Goten exclaimed.

“Tsuchi-chan, that’s enough for today!!” Chi-Chi called over. The girl immediately got to the grass and yanked the books from her head. She picked up her skirts and rushed inside.

“And make sure you put that dress away properly!!!” Chi-Chi shouted after her, going into the house as well.

“So what brings you little shits out here?” Chai smirked, leading them into the house. 

**********

In the kitchen, Chi-Chi already had cups set out on the table and tea brewing in the middle. The sweet and spicy smell made Chai’s mouth water as she pulled out a chair.

“Tell us more about the time travelling warrior!!!” the duo demanded.

Chai gestured at the remaining chairs for the boys to sit. Tsuchi appeared soon after, looking more herself in a simple green dress. The older demi-saiyajin poured tea into all of the cups as everyone settled in. 

“Aren’t you three getting a bit old for these stories?” Chai asked.

“What stories?” Tsuchi asked, warming her hands on her cup.

“The 'time traveller',” Chai muttered, sipping on her tea.

“Oh!?” Tsuchi startled. “He always sounded so charming.”

Trunks-kun rolled his eyes at the girl and Chai almost choked from stifling laughter.

“Why wont you tell us his name?” Goten-kun cried out, swishing his tail around. 

“It’s really best that you _don’t_ know his name,” Chai muttered.

“Where he got his saiyajin blood?” Trunks asked.

“Nah,” Chai shook her head.

“Will you at least tell us what he looked like?” Tsuchi demanded.

Chai sighed. If she gave too much detail, the pieces would be too easy to put together, and that would simply be awkward. 

“He was taller than me, but not as tall as Papa. Strong, and well - he was handsome,” Chai blushed.

“That doesn’t tell us anything!!!” Trunks-kun shook his fists at the older demi. “Was his hair all crazy like our dads? Did he have a tail? What did he wear? What color were his eyes?!” 

“No! No! Mostly black! And as blue as yours, pipsqueak!!!” Chai cried back, immediately wishing she hadn’t. 

“I bet you fancied him, didn’ you?” Tsuchi-chan grinned, her dark eyes sparkling.

“Huh, and I thought Chai-san just didn’t like boys,” Goten said, tapping his cheek thoughtfully.

“C’mon, you guys!! These stories aren’t real! Time travel isn’t possible,” Trunks-kun chided. 

“They have to be true!!” Tsuchi argued. “There's so many details and they involve things that actually happened, like the Cell Games!!”

“A time-traveling saiyajin with a sword?!” the boy countered.

Chai pursed her lips to restrain her laughter and decided one more story couldn’t hurt… at least they wouldn’t have to know how much it hurt.

“Okay, you three - chill. I will tell you one more story, then you three train until dinner time.”

“Yes!!!” the boys shouted in unison as Tsuchi sighed, staring down at her teacup. 

_Sorry, Tsu-chan. Fighting is still part of being Ox Queen._

Chai took another sip before clearing her throat. “Ok, so this is actually when everyone first met him, and I can’t believe I forgot to tell this one. Do you guys remember Frieza?”


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The updated, new and improved Chapter 1!!! I really hope you guys love it!!!

Son Chai was on her 24th shot of whiskey… or was it 25th?

Either way it took 20-something shots of a smoky, butterscotch liquor to calm the woman's nerves, peering over her glass across the Capsule Corp lawn. Drinking wasn't something she was shy about, and as far as Saiyajin's went, Chai could handle her liquor. Truth be told, she could use a break from the Ox Kingdom. She just wished Bulma had been more upfront about who they were welcoming home.

_Would I have come then?_

Her inner saiyajin purred in response. Of course she would have.

_Bulma had contacted Chai the day before, mentioning a party that everyone would be at._

_“It won’t be as big as my birthday had been, but everyone will be there. And we really don’t see enough of you, ya know!”_

_“You saw me last week, Bulma-san. Trunks had turned 13, remember?”_

_“And if you don’t come tomorrow, we won't see you for another six months. I swear, you’re as bad as Goku!!!”_

_“You know the Kingdom keeps me busy.”_

_“I will let you have the whiskey Vegeta drinks. The one I specifically made for Saiyajin metabolism.” Chai could nearly see the coy wink Bulma would have given her. “And plenty of food, of course. I know how you Saiyajins eat. It’ll be a whole 10 pounds of ham per Saiyajin and then 10 lbs for the rest of us.” There was something special about the way Bulma had her hams prepared. Riesling and peach glaze. She could never be accused of being cheap._

Briefs-crafted whiskey and enough ham to feed her Fire Mountain. If it was good enough for the Prince of Saiyajins, it was good enough for the Ox Queen. 

Chai passed another glance over her glass and sighed. It shouldn't be this complicated. They were friends. She could say "hello", couldn't she? 

_“Friends, though? We’re just...friends?”_

_His scent had been so potent, and judging from the bulk of his arms, the warrior had been training very hard lately._

_“No,” he said huskily before pushing her against a nearby tree. His lips captured hers -_

_Don't think about that!_

Before Chai knew it, her heart was beating rapidly at the memory. That was twelve years ago, she reminded herself. And he’s always going to leave. He had his responsibilities, and she had hers.

 _This is ridiculous!_

The demi-saiyajin set her glass back down on the table next to her half eaten plate. She shook her head at the now cold food, knowing her mother would be ashamed if she saw Chai waste a morsel. Oh well. The woman tightened her tail around her waist and walked her tipsy ass several yards towards him. Her cheeks flushed and she growled at the involuntary burning, looking away from him long enough to get her nerves to settle before looking him over again. 

_I can’t believe he’s back._

He was sitting across from Gohan, his broad body tense in his chair. Chai's own careful gaze caught the small things, however. His shoulders were beginning to relax against the metal, and his hands were beginning to move as he spoke with the other saiyajin, rather than staying towards his body. Still, when he’d been here the last few times, the young prince was always more relaxed around the other Z-fighters. These were his comrades. Chai silently wondered if anyone else noticed how much more tense he looked this time. Surely, Vegeta did. 

He smiled, his face angled to make eye contact with Gohan as they talked about quantum-mechanical-physical-fuckery that went above Chai's head but, Kami, did she love tracing his jawline as he spoke on subjects she couldn't even touch. 

She felt her tail want to unravel and swish behind her but Chai controlled her instinct. She glanced at her brother, who was shoving eel in his mouth. A thankfully sobering sight. Good gods, did he really eat like their father? Chai shook her head and looked back over at the other man, and couldn't keep herself from staring at his aqua orbs. They were beautiful, like his mother's. She was reminded of what Bulma told her upon arrival.

_Chai saw him. All 5’8” of him, then turned quickly, grabbing the shot glass Bulma was offering her and the jug of whiskey. The young queen slammed two shots and stole a glance over at the heiress._

_“Trunks-san… Mirai Trunks…”_

_Bulma nodded solemnly, sipping at her own glass of wine. “A few things before you talk to him…”_

_“Why does he look like he lost weight?”_

_Bulma sighed, her mouth forming a thin line. Her hand shook slightly. “There isn’t a lot of food in his timeline… Worse than before.”_

_Chai slammed another shot._

_“Also, he’s still in shock right now, I think because he’s here but.. Future Bulma is dead.”_

Chai stopped a foot away from the two men, and allowed them to finish talking. She kept her ki calm, though the tip of her tail wiggled uncontrollably against her back. The rest kept itself tightly at her waist, occasionally tickled by the long, wild hair she inherited from her father. She didn't quite look like either parent. Vegeta had once noted that she resembled her grandmother, Gine. 

"Maybe if more people knew how to fight, control ki... I don't know... " the future warrior trailed off. 

Chai hadn't stopped staring at his eyes this entire time. They were more war-weary than ever yet still intense and piercing. Trunks' eyes always looked as though they were searching for something-an answer to his curiosity, an enemy weakness to exploit, a sense of hope. Even younger Trunks had a constant sense of the wheels turning in his own eyes, though his concerns were more of the mischievous variety. 

He finally glanced up at her quickly, then looked away. 

_Fuck… if younger Trunks is 13… I’m the same age Future Chai was when she died… and Gohan is also the same age as his counterpart._

In his world, they served as dual masters, both providing a catalyst for his transformation to Super Saiyajin with their deaths. They couldn't be easy to be around right now - reminders of how much this Trunks had lost - so how was it he could hold a conversation with her brother, yet hardly look at her? Was it because this Gohan was a scholar, whereas the other one wasn't? Did that alone help the time traveler differentiate the two in his mind? Was it that this Gohan had a family? Was it his bright-eyed smile? 

"Hey sis!" Gohan exclaimed, breaking Chai out of her curiosities. He stood quickly to hug her, making her five-and-a-half-foot frame disappear into his arms. How was he still so broad and huge when he trained maybe once a week while Chai trained daily? Dad's damned genetics, she supposed. 

The woman giggled at her younger brother's overt affection. Since he'd taken his job at the college, she'd seen more of Videl and Pan than her own brother, and it was already hard enough to see each other. She had missed his warmth quite a bit.  
"Gohan, if you squeeze any harder, the people are going to try you for attempt on the Queen's life," the woman said, dryly. 

"Sorry, Your Majesty," Gohan chuckled, pulling away from her. 

She crossed her arms over her chest and tipped her nose to the sky with a half-grin on her face. 

"You look good, Chai," Trunks gently said. "Like you've kept up your training." 

When she returned his gaze, she saw he was smiling kindly at her. Her heart kickstarted into high gear and Chai hoped she wasn't smiling stupidly at him. Still, an annoying blush rose in her cheeks and her brain went over several awkward ways to greet him. It also kept lingering on a silly little promise. The reason she meandered over. Ah, liquid courage. 

"Hey handsome," she breathed. The satisfaction at watching his face go as red as his scarf was completely worth her own quaking nerves. Gohan nearly choked on his Hetap as the music slowed down. The opportunity was presenting itself. Now it was a question as to whether or not she'd take it. She bit her lip.

"You didn’t keep a promise to me," she stated, her arms still crossed. Her tail was beginning to loosen around her waist.

His eyes cast downward. "Chai… I..." Trunks stated, his face now losing all color. Gohan quirked an eyebrow at her in curiosity. 

"Yes, at your mom's last party," she smirked. " ‘Member?"

The time traveler looked to Gohan, who just shook his head and poked at his steamed rice.

"Before Paragus arrived."

Chai watched as Trunks' other eyebrow raised and his eyes widened with realization. That rosy hue returned to his cheeks as he stared at her. 

"Chai-chan, that was years ago! I-I thought you meant -" he cried.

"I thought you didn't break promises," she teased.

Trunks groaned, running a hand through his now blue hair. Chai silently wondered when that happened as he returned her gaze. He glanced around a moment then sighed. Another slower song began. He stared at her like he used to when they'd spar. Like she was a challenge. Suddenly something else sparked in his eyes, then the tiredness he gave off took over them again.

"One," he told her.

She nodded in satisfaction as the young saiyajin stood, leaving his sword behind. The small gesture pleased her. She led him towards the middle of the grass where couples and friends alike danced together. They were friends. This was a friendly setting. It didn't have to be awkward, didn't have to _mean_ anything. 

He continued to blush as his arms wrapped around her waist, her tail hanging further down to give him room. Chai put her hands on his shoulders; glad he wasn't terribly taller than her. Through the jacket she could feel just how thin he'd gotten. Chai tried hard to hide how her heart broke and instead focused on his scent and ki. 

Those were the same. She could only describe his scent as akin to hot desert sand after a cool rain. Fresh, earthy and with a hint of the spiciness all Saiyajins smelled like. There was a whispering of another scent, like gunsmoke. Chai smelled it and thought nothing more, focusing instead on the light warmth of his ki. It reminded her of a flickering bonfire in the night.

She debated on nuzzling his chest, then realized that wasn’t a good idea. She ached as she held back the purring that her inner Oozaru hummed inside her mind.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you in a dress," Trunks commented, bringing Chai back to present.

"There was the first time we met, remember?" she whispered.

"Yeah, but you hated it. This," he looked down at her for a moment, "It looks like something you'd choose."

Chai glanced down at her own attire. The dress was black, with a long flared skirt and lace sleeves. Despite how delicate it looked, the dress was actually quite movable. The skirt flowed comfortably, and there was a slit where the sai rested against her thighs. Her wild hair was pulled into a low ponytail. She had been holding court just beforehand. 

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yes," he chuckled.

She smiled up at him shyly. "Thank you."

He began to glance around again, then looked down uncomfortably. "People are staring," he muttered.

"Should we knock them all out?" Chai asked with a devious grin.

Trunks snorted and shook his head. His gaze had completely softened by now. "Yeah, you're still gonna be the death of me."

His gaze. The whiskey. The buzzing vibes of her loved ones. His scent. Her mind was drowning in the little pleasures of her senses. 

"Hmm," the woman purred. "I'd rather be the life of you."

Trunks then paused suddenly and furrowed his brows at her. "Chai?"

The sound of her name brought her back to reality. Did she really say that? She stared up at him, removing her arms from his shoulders. Trunks' hands remained at Chai’s waist, however her tail was frantically swishing and brushing against his fingers. Her breath matched the velocity of her anxious appendage.

_I actually said that aloud._

"I-I'm sorry," Chai stammered, then quickly took to the sky.


	3. To Be Yourself is All That You Can Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter title was "Right Here" - Staind. Don't ask me why I thought that fit.  
> This chapter title from "Be Yourself" - Audioslave.
> 
> Issues between the Ox and Horse Kingdom are on Chai's mind but her sister wont leave the Future Trunks issue alone.  
> Gohan tries to teach Chai to use ki but the Saiyans have arrived!

Her head was so fuzzy but the cool air beating against Chai’s face helped. The sky was pretty tonight. Clouds and stars decorated the navy hue while West City below her glowed through the layer of cirrus that kept her out of eyesight.

She couldn’t even begin to process the previous 24 hours. Not only was there a civil war erupting in the Rat Kingdom, 2000 kilometers beyond her borders, but the Horse Kingdom just upped their demands. 

Now in order to keep supplying the ore that Chai desperately needed in order to produce weapons, not just for her own Kingdom but for her smiths to make money with, King Yerba was demanding 25 tons of produce per week. And he dropped the percent of ore he was offering her to 45% of what they received last year. 

Chai shook her head. It was ludacris. They were cousins!! And King Yerba never acted like this before. 

Chai previously bought the ore then last year, a storm blew through, destroying part of the castle and her kingdom’s treasure buried under rubble and a rock. Some of it she recovered but immediately used it for the families and businesses that suffered worse damage. The rest was just fucking gone!

When it came time to buy more ore from Yerba, Chai explained the situation and he offered to donate 50% of her typical amount until she could begin to purchase again. The details could be ironed out later. No extra demands. "We're family, cousin." 

It was fine for the first three months, but slowly he added on demands, such as the produce, and 100 gallons of water. He also slowly lowered the percentage he began with. She needed the ore too. It provided weapons to the kingdom itself and jobs to the smiths. 

It was for this reason that she’d been holding court, before Bulma-san's party. The gentry and prominent members of the Ox Kingdom however could not put forth any useful ideas, or agree on which ones were worse. Not that Chai really noticed what was being said. Her mind was on all the chaos she felt going on towards West City the day beforehand that she was trying to ignore. 

In actuality, Bulma-san's revelation that Mirai Trunks returned wasn't that surprising. The day prior, Chai felt a huge ki appear, fight with her dad and one other, then disappear minutes later. The other being a familiar ki that she didn’t want to feel. It brought forth painful memories.

Yet when she felt his ki, she was in denial. She told herself it wasn’t him but the Little Prince, as she would teasingly call Trunks-kun, vibrating his ki particularly hard. Or she just took that blast to the head really hard, years ago. That she was just feeling shit. Hopeful shit, but shit nonetheless.

For all of her denial, however, the time-traveling warrior was back. She didn't even know exactly why. 

The young queen sighed and angled herself for descent as the Ox Kingdom came into view. 

When Chai had the castle rebuilt, or more her grandpa had the castle rebuilt to her specifications, it was made not nearly as large and grandiose as the previous one. Half as much so. It was made to include the basics: dining hall, throne room, private rooms for herself and those who resided in the castle, which was really just her, her grandpa, and thirty others meant to house guests, if needed. There was also the armory, the garrison, a room dedicated to her family’s artifacts and trophies won in conquest, as well as a few other designations. The rest of the land in which the castle previously rested on was left bare as 10-year old Chai wasn’t sure what else to do with it. And to this day, it remained so. In all honesty, infrastructure wasn’t the queen’s strong suit.

She touched down on the balcony that was attached to her quarters and used a special key to gain access, locking it behind her once again and drawing the curtains. 

Chai made her way across the room to the lamps and began turning on a few so that the room was dimly lit. Her head still hurt far too much to surround herself in bright light.

“You’ve gotten great at stealth, Tsuchi-chan, but you need to work on hiding your ki,” the queen spoke, turning towards her bed.

Sitting in the center of her pillows, almost enshadowed from the light was the small figure of Chai’s baby sister, and Goten’s twin, Son Tsuchi. The white’s of the girl’s eyes were nearly all that could be seen in the dark and it would have been creepy if Chai did not already know who it was. 

“Why did you leave the party?” Tsuchi asked as her sister made her way over. 

Chai pulled off her shoes and began pulling the pins that held her hair at the base of her neck. Should she bother bringing her sister into her own one-sided, ill-fated, half-faded feelings? 

“I had a really long day,” Chai told her, now tugging gently on the waist of her dress. The lace made it tricky to remove.

“Trunks-san looked sad that you left suddenly. A few more people tried to talk to him and he just went inside,” Tsuchi explained. 

_Great… already have to make an apology_

By now, she’d gotten the dress off and began working on removing the sai from her thighs. “Why did you leave?” she turned the question on the smaller Son.

Tsuchi pushed herself towards the edge of the bed to see Chai better. The girl looked quite a bit like a small Chi-Chi. _She’s definitely going to be prettier than me. Good for her._

“The party ended. Mama said I could check on you if I wanted.”

“Ah, well let her know, I’m no closing to getting married than Uranai Baba.”

“She was worried you’d be upset.”

“I am upset. I’m upset that there is a civil war brewing on my backside, threatening to invade into the other kingdoms. I’m upset that our cousin Yerba-san is being hard-up about providing ore that I may need soon. I’m upset that Gohan-kun has stopped training altogether, and isn’t even training you or Goten-kun, so I guess I need to do that. Speaking of training, did you read the books I’d given you about etiquette and domestic affairs?”

“I did. They were incredibly dry reads. _The Art of War_ was far more fascinating.” After a beat Tsuchi spoke once more. “She thought you’d be upset about Trunks-san.”

“It's getting late. Are you staying overnight?”

After a phone call to her mother’s house, and getting both herself and Tsuchi into comfortable clothes, the two girls tucked in together. The bed was amazingly comfortable after days like this, and her sister’s company wasn’t a bad touch. Chai wrapped her arms around the twelve-year old, wondering how much longer the girl would allow such affectionate gestures before teenagehood set in. Being queen, Chai missed out on a lot of the twins’ lives. More than she would have preferred. 

“Are you upset about Trunks-san?”

Chai sighed. “Yes. He’s a dear friend and his timeline is being destroyed, again. The last time he came, it was to help us fight a threat that destroyed his world so the same wouldn't happen here.” she then squeezed the little girl very tightly. “If not for him, you wouldn’t be here.”

“You sound close. Like Goten-kun and I are to Trunks-kun”

“We were. I wish I could help him.”

The two had fallen asleep without another word on the subject. It didn’t surprise Chai much that her sister took such an interest in the time traveler and the friendship the two had. For starters, anyone would be excited to meet an older version of their own friends. 

Secondly, Chai knew the little dance was going to draw attention, and in her sobriety, she couldn’t believe how stupid she was. It was bound to make things awkward and for what? To hold him to a promise that was obviously nowhere near the top 100 of his memories. 

She groaned to herself as the morning rays began peeking through the little cracks the curtain didn’t cover. She was going to have to visit him again, and soon, just to apologize for being such a shithead. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the glow of the small orb that sat on her bedside table, as well as the voice of her least favorite cousin calling her name. Chai’s eyes snapped open as she glared at the glass piece which was magnifying the size of King Yerba’s chin and jawline. At this angle, the fucker actually looked like a horse. Chai picked up the orb in one hand and shielded her eyes with the other.

“What can I do for you, Seabiscuit?”

“Chai, I - what?”

She shook her head and blinked. “Nevermind, go on.”

“The Rat Kingdom’s civil war is breaking south. My scouts say they will be at our border by noon today. Chai-chan, I need help! We don’t have enough troops!! My cities will be destroyed, and we aren’t even their target!!!”

Chai let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She knew this would become a problem, she just didn’t anticipate how soon. The first thing she ever did as queen was rebuild her kingdom. It took years, so much hard work and a lot of sacrifice that depended on the people more than any monarch would admit. Yet, Yerba demanded so much already. But wasn’t she in his debt right now? He didn’t have to give her the ore. What really irked her was that the demands came up afterwards and weren’t upfront. Then again, a war on your doorstep was not something you preplanned.

“How many?” she asked, finally. She could feel Tsuchi stirring next to her and began running a hand through the girl’s smooth strands.

“5,000 troops?”

“Done.”

Yerba’s irritating mug disappeared and Chai replaced the orb on her bedside table. Tsuchi had turned to look up at the queen who was studying the little one’s face. She needed to spend more time with the twins. Dad was always training, Gohan-kun had his family, and Mom was a bit one-track minded. At this point, they spent more time at Capsule Corps than their own house. _Well_ , Chai thought, _they could spend a little more time there._ Besides, she needed to apologize to Mirai Trunks. 

“How are your ki blasts?” She asked Tsuchi.

18 Years Earlier 

Several hours passed. It was supposed to be easy. 

‘Concentrate on the energy in your body and focus it into your hand.’ Those were Gohan-kun’s simplified instructions. 

In actuality, it was exhausting. 

Chai could sense the energy in her body and she could push it all to one place but where her brother produced blue energy the size of a baseball, to her disdain she produced something the size of a pebble. And it stung! 

The first time the girl was successful, her overwhelming joy at the miniscule light was zipped by the jolt that shot through her fingertips, making her cry out while the tiny light disappeared like a skittish mouse. Chai stared down at her hand, looking for the blood that would surely follow the pinprick she felt but there was none. If that was what a tiny bit of energy felt like, how would she produce what Gohan could? How would she ever do a kamehameha wave like Papa? 

“You’re just not used to the feel of it leaving your body,” Gohan-kun told her.

Chai nodded and closed her eyes to refocus when she felt the air shift around her. She snapped her eyes open to see Gohan and Piccolo staring up into the sky. It was immensely powerful. More powerful than Papa, Chai realized. Her hands dropped to her side as her stomach dropped to settle in her knees. 

“So the saiyajins have finally arrived,” Piccolo said, cooly.

“What an incredible ki, Piccolo-san,” Gohan said. 

‘What am I doing here?’ Chai wondered to herself but she kept her face as neutral as possible. Gohan turned to look over at her and saw the fear in her eyes. She perhaps could fool the others but not her brother, even after a year of absence. 

Above them, birds migrated away from the direction of the energy in droves, like a black mass covering the sky. A huge flash of light blinded her and a huge gush of wind blew. They each grounded themselves to the dirt and grass, resisting the force of the blast that occurred several thousand kilometers away. What birds were passing above them at that moment were forced forward at neck-break speeds. Chai tried hard not to hear the thud as a few fell at their feet.

The air was suddenly still around her. With vibrating nerves and a pounding heart, that stillness felt eerie. It didn’t belong.

A sound of whipping fabric and a thud.

“Do not be afraid,” Piccolo-san declared. 

Chai opened her eyes to find his cape on the ground. He was also removing his turban, which fell with another thack. Chai was shocked to see that Piccolo-san also had a pair of antennae to go with his green skin. He truly looked like an alien. 

“We’ve become so strong, it’s incomparable to what we were a year ago,” he continued.

“R-right!” Gohan-kun said, shakily.

“Something is coming this way from that direction, too!” Piccolo-san exclaimed, taking a stance. “And from over there too!”

“Weren’t there only supposed to be two Saiyajins?” Chai gasped.

Unmistakable, there were more presences quickly making their way towards the three of them. As he approached, his ki felt familiar to her but she couldn't place it. Chai felt more than heard one jump from a mountaintop to land in front of them. He looked human enough. Short as Chai and Gohan, bald, large dark eyes, and six dots on his head like a monk. His gi… wait… that was the same as Papa’s gi. 

“Hey, long time no see, Piccolo,” Uncle Krillan greeted. 

“Oh, so it’s you,” Piccolo-san chuckled. Everyone relaxed just a bit. Who did the other ki belong to? “What business do you have here? Did you come to get in our way?” 

“Don’t talk like that. I’ve improved a little, myself,” Krillan-san replied. 

“So it appears. Looks like there are some other fools who mean to come here,” Piccolo replied.

Chai couldn’t push away her disappointment. She knew that none of those ki’s were her Papa. She’d recognize his. Still, what was taking so long? She stared up at the position of the sun where it sat in the middle of the sky. It was noon already. 

“Yeah, I’m sure everyone is coming. I guess I was just the closest one,” Krillan replied.

“I remember! You’re one of the people that was at the Turtle Hermit-sama’s place,” Gohan interjected.

“Gohan-kun,” Chai chided. “That’s our Krillan-Ojiisan. He and Papa trained under Muten Roshi-sama together. They are very old friends.”

Krillan put his hands on his hips and regarded the siblings. 

“You’re just like Goku-san was, when he was a kid,” he told Gohan then turned to his sister. “And Chai-chan, I'm happy to see Chi-Chi isn't putting you in the same outfit she wore at your age."

Gohan hopped forward in excitement While Chai turned over the comment in her mind. What outfit could he be talking about? A deep blush rose in her cheeks upon picturing the bikini armor. Her mother actually did try to put her in that once. _Once_.

“You’re small but strong right? That’s what Papa said a lot! You’re going to fight with us, right?” Gohan babbled while Krillan side-eyed the boy.

“He didn’t have to include that “small” part,” Krillan muttered then leaned over to Gohan and whispered something that Chai couldn’t pick up on. They continued back and forth until Piccolo interrupted.

“Enough chit-chat. They’re here!”

The four stared up into the sky, taking in the two enemies positioned right in the face of the sun. They smirked as though expecting to be exalted by it’s rays, staring at the heroes in arrogance. One was tall, perhaps as tall as Piccolo with a mustache and a bald head. The second one was not much taller than Krillan, with angular features and a hair that stood on end like a flame. They both wore devices over one eye and yellow tipped armor. Around their waists were tails, like Chai and Goha- WAIT!!!

Chai stared back at her brother for a moment. 

_Where… where is his tail?_

Instinctively, she felt for hers and found it twitching behind her where it belonged.

_So… if they have tails. And we have tails… isn’t that what that Raditz person said though, according to Bulma-Obasan and Krillan-Ojisan? That we were the same as them? That Raditz himself was Papa's brother_

She looked downward to the birds that lay dead at their feet. No more than casualties of a blast that no doubt killed hundreds of people earlier. A blast which occurred soon after feeling the energy of these saiyajins.

_No_ , Chai decided. _We are not the same._

“Th-those are the Saiyajins, huh?” Krillan trembled. “Indeed, I can sense an incredible ki from them. D-Danger truly is closing in on us!” 

“Chai, right?” Piccolo asked.

The girl broke her focus from the invaders and looked up at the green man. “Yes.”

“You’re nowhere near ready to fight. You’ll likely just get in the way.”

“B-but!! I wanted to be here when Papa arrived!!”

“And what if you’re not?”

“I don’t understand…” 

“This is a battle kid. Something like a war. If you can’t fight, you will likely just be fodder. I don’t think your dad wants to come home to that, do you?”

Chai dropped her head. Boy, was he blunt. He was right though… Still, Mama was going to be angry and the girl really didn’t want to face that. 

“Kinto Un!” she called, meekly. 

The cloud touched down as the two Saiyajins did and Chai hopped on. “Promise me you’ll be careful,” she told her brother. Gohan nodded, not looking away from the enemy. Probably a good idea.

The girl positioned herself to not give her back to the two and felt the cloud float her into the sky. She watched the large one smile suddenly and open his hand. A familiar shape began to appear in his open palm. 

“Really, Nappa?” the shorter one chuckled.

“Kinto Un, hurry!!” Chai screamed as the blast was launched at her.


	4. Change My Attempt, Good Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chai sends help to King Yerba, then tends to her family and friends. 
> 
> What happened, however, to Chibi Chai 17 years ago?
> 
> Title comes from "Wasteland" by 10 Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed a small mess up in my previous chapter. Both last chapter and this one the time gap is 17 years since it's already been a year since Goku died fighting Raditz. That puts Chibi Chai at 11, and Present Chai at 28 (if you didn't want to do the math). 
> 
> This chapter is a little longer than the previous two, and I'm posting it earlier than I normally would. That could push off the next chapter a few extra days. I'm sorry in advance.
> 
> Please review and rate!! I would love comments, even ones that are more critical.

Chai stood before the 5,000 she was to send out, led by General Clove. These 5,000 made up about a third of her current forces, and although she would not be as comfortable parting with that much of her military, she could stand in for their absence by herself if need be. She was also sending her best general, and an old friend - a decision that guaranteed that not only would her troops fight with the valour _she_ expected of them, but most would return home. 

General Clove, an average-sized man by most accounts, however, his merits laid in his mind and decency. He was a man of honor and a bit of a tactician. He followed every order Chai gave, though was known on occasion to discuss privately what he did not agree with. She preferred things this way. The illusion of unity but a thinking officer in actuality. A loyal drone was useless to her. 

He tucked the orb into his pocket with a bronze hand then bowed before his queen before returning to his broad shouldered at-ease stance. 

“I’m sure we’ll drive back those Rats within a few days, Your Grace,” he said with confidence in his eyes. They were a shade of magenta that may have looked odd on anyone else but were complementary to his medium skin and dark hair. 

“I have full faith in you, General.”

He smiled. “Very well, upon my return, perhaps a humble dinner? I’ll make a curry to rival your own, My Queen.”

Chai could not hold back her smile at the friendly challenge. Perhaps she’d have to up the ante. “I look forward to it.”

With a nod, Clove turned to the small army, arms briskly at his side. There was a low padding sound, similar to dominos falling as the rest of the troops fell into a similar stance. Clove let out a deep grunt, which the soldiers echoed. 

“Ladies and Gentleman, let us show what the Ox Kingdom is made of, and make our queen proud.” 

Another grunt in response. 

Chai shook her head. Even their less dignified traits, she was secretly proud of. 

The general mounted his horse and turned for the direction of the Horse Kingdom to help out their cousins. 

“Clove,” Chai called.

He quietly turned to her and waited for her to speak.

“Remember, if things begin to look even a little bad…”

“I will reach out to you, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you.” 

Chai stood back and nodded Clove to lead 5,000 to the East. She knew they would do well, as they usually did. The queen was not sure exactly why but she never suffered many losses in battle. She knew it was not simply her own involvement in the battles as Chai would often hold back in order to allow her soldiers to earn honor in battle. Many came from generations of proud soldiers, and as a Saiyajin, she understood how important it was to continue earning that honor for one’s family. Perhaps it was their loyalty, perhaps it was her own experience with battle, perhaps it was Clove. Perhaps it was a little of everything. Either way, there was no heaviness in her heart as she watched them march away. She knew most, if not all, would return in a few days.

“Shall we?” the queen asked Princess Tsuchi. 

The young girl eagerly nodded, already dressed in an orange and blue gi, her long hair in a neat bun atop her head and tail tightly wrapped.

“Go on ahead. I want to get out of his gown and I’ll meet you there,” Chai told her.

“Pick up Goten-kun on the way?”

“I already spoke to Okaasan.”

Tsuchi took to the sky with great speed. In no time, she already looked like a bead in the vast sky. Another thing the girl seemed to be practicing on her own. Chai smiled before jumping back onto her private balcony.

Even with the fifteen minute head start Tsuchi had, Chai still beat her to Capsule Corps. There was a small breeze and Chai was feeling more comfortable than she had in ages. It was nice being in simpler clothes for once. She wore her hair in a side braid and dressed in all black, from her tank top, leggings, and boots, with an old plaid shirt of her dad’s. She had once stolen it from his closet after the Cell Games, taking comfort in how embedded his scent was in the rough fabric. It skimmed her knees and completely hid the pair of sai strapped to her thighs.The only sign of regality on Chai’s person was a piece of technicolor rock, the size of an egg, hanging by a thick chain around her neck. 

It was said that when Fire Mountain was first settled, 450 years ago, the original Ox King found this stone and gave it to his wife as a gift. Her name was also Chai, and from her it was passed to every Ox Queen. Why Chi-Chi had decided to name her daughter after the first Ox Queen, Son Chai never knew, but she wore the stone with pride.

She stood near the main house of Capsule Corps, observing as the twins and the smaller Trunks sparred two on one in the backyard. After ten minute periods, Chai would yell for them to switch and someone else would be the “target” for the other two to team up against. It was solid team-building and it allowed the “target” to polish their defensive skills. If they were good, it would also help their offensive. The trio had done this under Chai’s tutelage for seven years and knew the order. Goten was the current target.

Chai sighed, watching as her brother easily dodged Tsuchi, while Trunks met him blow for blow. Goten ducked away from a downward kick from his sister, causing her to nearly crash into her ally. Trunks dodged in time and Tsuchi ended up knees in the dirt while Goten barely jumped away in time to keep his feet from being swept by the older boy.

Chai pursed her lips and shook her head. She felt her tail tense involuntarily. 

“On Tsuchi-chan,” she commanded.

The trio froze mid-air.

“Its-its not my turn,” the girl sputtered.

“It is now,” Chai said, “You clearly train less than the boys.”

“I told you Onee-Chan would notice,” Goten scolded his twin.  
“Don’t worry, Tsu-chan. We’ll go easy on you,” Trunks smirked.

“I don't need you to go easy on me,” the girl growled.

Chai smiled. “Go!”

As the boys began a coordinated assault on Tsuchi, a familiar ki leaned against the same wall, a foot away from the oldest demi.

“Prince Grumpass,” she greeted.

“Queen Brat.”

They observed in silence while Tsuchi slowly caught up, blocking Trunks’ frontal punch to her abdomen but was caught by Goten’s strike to her lower back. The girl snarled as her tail got crushed under the kick. She sparked for just a moment, her Super Saiyajin form threatening to take over. 

“I haven’t seen your older son. I need to speak with him,” Chai said quietly.

“He’s sulking in his mother’s lab. She informed him that the repairs to the time machine will take two weeks and she’s not letting him help, even though that would expedite things.”

“That makes no sense. Are your little moochers helping?”

A trio of strange children had been staying at Capsule Corps for the past year or so, since Bulma’s birthday cruise. One was a perfectly normal girl with long black hair, one a blue kid in old fashioned Chinese clothing, and the last was a dog ninja. Whether or not he was worth his salt as a ninja was still up for debate, but that was a mystery for another day.

Vegeta sneered at the sound of _his_ little moochers. 

“No. Just Bulma-san.”

Chai frowned, staring at the Prince from the side of her eyes. 

“It’s a lie,” he followed up.

The boys flew down for a dual kick to drive Tsuchi down, but the girl flexed her ki to full strength just long enough to interrupt their movements. There was a moment of advantage where she grabbed Goten’s tail long enough to paralyze him and toss him. It was the first good move she’d made, until Trunks took advantage long enough to kick her square in the ribs.

“Why?”

“Bulma-san thinks he needs to recuperate. I’m inclined to agree. I’ve never known my son to show tiredness yet he carries exhaustion. A fatigued saiyajin is worthless in battle.”

Chai bit her lip as the tip of her tail tucked itself further under the rest. Vegeta showing softness was a red flag, especially to Mirai Trunks. 

“Switch,” Chai called.

Again, they’d frozen mid-air, unsure of how to proceed. She’d earlier interrupted their precious routine. 

“Ummm… “ Goten hummed. He took the moment to stretch and swish out his tail. One section looked kinked where Tsuchi grabbed it. 

“On Trunks then resume normal order,” the woman explained.

“That puts me right after him!” Tsuchi cried.

“Sure does,” Chai said, unsympathetically.

Goten rewrapped his tail tightly and got into stance as did the other boy. Tsuchi, however, took another moment to pout before stiffening her lower lip and taking a wide legged position, her eyes on the boys.

“Does the Ox Princess need a break?” Trunks cooed.

“I don’t know. Does the Half-Saiyajin Prince need a boot to the face?” the girl retorted.

Chai snorted. Yeah, she was going to let this exchange happen. The boy opened his mouth to speak when a new voice interrupted.

“Careful, he might like that.”

The lavender-haired boy looked up at his counterpart and sneered. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

Mirai Trunks shrugged, taking up on Chai’s other side, his posture nearly mirroring his father’s: arms crossed, slight frown, eyes narrowed. This was a face of neutrality for both of them. A slight smirk then crossed the younger man’s face.

“I mean, I find it cute if a girl thinks she can beat me. Figured you’re the same.”

“Tn,” Vegeta snickered with a half-smile.

A matching smirk then crossed Chibi Trunks’ face as he turned to Tsuchi. 

“So let’s see that boot to the face.”

This made the Saiyajin Prince smile entirely. Chai too. 

“Go!” she commanded.

True to her threat, Tsuchi started off with a high kick aimed at Trunks’ jaw but he swatted it away while Goten aimed a kick at his shin, throwing the older boy off balance. Chai shook her head at her sister’s foolishness. Don’t ever begin with an attack you clue your enemy in on. That was Vegeta-level arrogance. It did seem, however, that Tsuchi was learning to observe her partner.

“Boy,” the Prince said, cooly.

“Otousan.”

“I expect you in the gravity room in an hour.” 

Vegeta turned away before Trunks could give his affirmative. Chai caught the corner of the young man’s mouth turn up in a slight smile. Even with his father’s back to him, Trunks still seemed to be hesitant to show excitement towards such an invitation. _After all these years, you still thirst for his approval._

With Vegeta gone and the small demi’s preoccupied several feet away, it was almost as if the two were alone together. Such proximity and privacy stirred a plethora of things Chai had been trying to keep locked up. Memories that were only painful in retrospect. Even one that took place against a tree that Chai could pick out among the many in the thick backyard.

_It was one of many late nights before the Cell Games, and once again, she had snuck over to Capsule Corps to see him. Most nights they would just explore the grounds, sleep and cuddle, having grown accustomed to each other’s presence. Some nights, however, they did a bit more, succumbing to the demands of their mutual attraction. This had been one of those nights, under a nearly full moon._

_”Chai… oh, gods… Cha-fuck…” he moaned, one hand buried in her hair._

“How have you been?” Trunks asked, pulling Chai from the memory. Her sanity and dignity thanked him, though she did wonder if he ever thought of that while being out here. _Likely, no. That was twelve years ago._

“I’m a ray of fucking sunshine,” she chuckled. “About last night…”

“I didn’t read anything into it,” he answered.

_Ouch… wait, no…_

“Good,” Chai nodded. “I was being an idiot.” She then turned her attention back to the kids, “Switch!!”

“Still unfair,” Tsuchi muttered but the older sister caught it.

“Complain one more time, little girl!” Chai dared. She was quickly getting sick of Tsuchi’s attitude.

The younger girl turned her full attention to her sister while the boys stood in stance but relaxed. “What are you going to do Chai-san?? You already have me going two-on-one nearly twice in a row!!!”

Chai stared over at her, tongue clicking, as she considered what she was about to suggest. “Boys can go Super. You cannot! Go!!”

Three sets of eyes widened as Tsuchi froze. Her whole body seemed to tense as she waited to find out what Goten and Trunks would decide to do. 

“That’s an order!”

The boys each gave a stiff nod before charging up to Super Saiyajin, both suddenly donning the golden hair and teal eyes then went at their target. There was a definite change in the fight. Both were automatically faster, stronger, and not yet fully skilled at holding back in this form. Tsuchi blocked nothing, dodged nothing, taking their combined assault with yelps, grunts, and small cries as she was punched, kicked and thrown across the Capsule Corps yard. 

“Don’t you think you’re being harsh?” Mirai Trunks whispered from the side.

Chai shook her head with her lips turned down. “She’s been slacking and that’s not acceptable. You should know more than anyone that those three cannot be apathetic. One day, this world will be on them. ...It’s already had to be once…”

“What!!?” 

Chai turned to him, her arms crossed and lip quivering. She nodded her head shakily then turned back towards the trio, swallowing back the memories of Majin Buu. 

“I’ll tell you about it some other time.” The woman then regained her composure. “So, not that I’m unhappy to see you, but I know you’re not here for shits and giggles.”

“No,” Trunks looked down. “As I’m sure you figured, I had defeated the androids and Cell. A few years later, I killed two beings known as Dabura and Babadi, but we had peace for the most part. Ten years of rebuilding, finding survivors, trying to regrow food, reunite families, become a civilization again.” Trunks then shook his head disdainfully. “Then, _he_ came. Did in a year what took the androids twenty.”

She felt the trio calm their ferocity but didn’t say anything. The boys were still transformed and Tsuchi was still receiving a beating but she kept getting back up. She’d block or dodge one out of every ten hits; deliver on one out of every eight blows. The girl stole a quick glance at her older sister and Chai nodded her approval.

“He who?” she asked him.

Trunks looked away from her but she caught his hard frown. 

“We...don’t know who he really is… he’s destroyed everything, Chai-chan. There’s maybe 1,000 people left. No food. No medical supplies.” 

_That explains a lot_ , Chai thought to herself. He had a few more scars than he did when she last saw him, and that was on places she could see like his hands, his face, the top of his neck. Surely, he had more in places she couldn’t see.

The boys left their Super forms and Tsuchi slowly sat back up, and eased onto her feet but Chai was no longer watching them. Just mildly monitoring their ki with her own.

Chai watched as he’d begun to tremble. This was probably the second time he’s had to relive it after barely escaping it, she realized. Without thinking, she’d begun closing the space between them, her tail unwrapping from her waist and trailing behind her.

“I can barely stand against him. I-I have to run and hide.”

“Trunks-sa…” Chai took one of his clenched fists in her hands and held it there while he stilled.   
She felt the training session settle to a stop and decided that was enough for today. “I should have gone with you.” 

He glanced over at her and shook his head. “No.” 

“Wh-what do you mean ‘no’? Sure, we knew that you were strong enough to finish the androids and Imperfect Cell but we also knew that big bads would keep coming.” Her voice suddenly rose five octaves. She could feel the eyes now on them but Chai couldn’t stop herself. All of the guilt was hitting her at once. “I-I knew you were alone, the last Saiyajin left alive and I just let you return by yourself.”

“No,” he growled, fully turning to her. “I’m glad you didn’t come with me.”

Her tail then wrapped itself down her leg. It was another involuntary gesture of her body trying to comfort itself. A strange saiyajin quality. Chai opened her mouth to speak but just laughed instead.

“Seriously? Why don’t you just plunge your sword through my chest. It might hurt less!”

“Chai, I’m serious!! If something happened to you -”

“YOUR MAJESTY!! YOUR MAJESTY!!” 

Chai’s pocket glowed and screamed. She ripped the orb from the plaid shirt, and stared with her mouth agape at it’s smoky appearance. Screams erupted from it and sounds of crashes. 

“YOUR MAJESTY!!” came another scream. She recognized the voice but wasn’t expecting to hear anything from him. She could not even see him through the smog inside the glass ball.

“Basil? Basil!” Chai yelled.

His face appeared in the corner, flesh full of soot and tarnished. His green hair was singed and coming out of it’s kept ponytail.

“Your Majesty,” he choked. “The castle’s been bombed.”

Chai’s previously jumbled emotions stilled like the calm before the storm. Her mind began to work overtime, scooting pieces together to understand the whole. That timing was a little too perfect.

“Didn’t you send 5,000 troops to Yerba this morning?” Tsuchi asked.

She was now standing with a small limp and bruises forming on her arms and face. Probably more under her gi 

Chai nodded. By her calculation that left 10,000 locally. _What happened?_ She clicked her tongue. “Get the survivors to the river. I’ll be there soon.”

With a nod, Basil vanished and the glass became clear again. The queen replaced it in her pocket and took to the air, her furry appendage finding it’s way around her waist once again. She turned to her siblings.

“Stay here. I’ll be back soon. Love you.”

17 Years Earlier

Kinto Un didn’t move in time.

The girl snapped her eyes shut.

There was heat first. The warmth that quickly became hot then excruciating. Chai’s skin burned with the power of the blast, then she didn’t burn at all.

Silence.

A gust of wind shook her hair. Chai opened her eyes. 

She was still there, waiting in the wastelands, Gohan-kun, Piccolo-san, and Krillian-san behind her, and the strangers before her. Chai’s hands burned and had little dark marks forming on them, as well as a blister or two. If she wasn’t so shocked at being alive, she’d be crying from the pain.

“She-she blocked it,” Krillan-san said.

_I... what….?_

“Well,” the smaller man chuckled, “Did you put anything into that blast, Nappa?”

“The brat got lucky. That’s all!” Nappa stammered. 

“Wh-what?” Chai stuttered. Kinto Un began taking her away from danger as the tall man readied another blast.

“No,” the smaller man said, finally.

“But, Prince Vegeta…” however the one named Vegeta shook his head with a grin. 

“If she were to escape, and perhaps send help, would that not be more entertaining?”

Nappa then dissolved his blast and smiled with the same chagrin. “Yeeeeees, you’re right.”

As Chai rose away from the impending fight, three helicopters hovered nearby. No sooner than they arrived did the giant brute send a blast in the direction of one, causing it to crash to the ground in smoke and smashed metal parts. There wouldn’t be any survivors, Chai realized. Her heart clenched in her chest. She almost didn’t notice the other two aircrafts leave immediately. _Good. Get out of here._

The tiny “prince” gave an order to the larger one, and suddenly he pulled something from his pocket before kneeling to the ground. He poked holes into the soil with his fingers and planted… seeds? Were those seeds? He covered them again and poured a liquid on top. It didn’t take long to see what he planted.

Out of the ground came six small green creatures with pink eyes and foreheads twice as big as their faces. They looked like there were tiny cracks in their heads, as though their brains might have not worked properly. Or maybe that was the brain, without an exoskeleton. Chai didn’t know which thought was more disturbing. 

They circled the trio like sharks, moving almost too fast for Chai’s eyes to track. Suddenly the tiny aliens bounced themselves off of rocks, making them explode and crumble in a display of power. Chai shuddered. How could things so small and juvenile be so dangerous?

“Let’s go,” she whispered, and Kinto Un took off faster than she’d ever ridden it. 

Tears flowed down Chai’s cheeks as she sped off. What was to become of Gohan? Would Papa get there in time? All she could do was wait! Wait and see what happens!! Chai’s tail unfurled from her waist and fluffed out as she gave a maddened scream. She could hear it echo off of the mountaintops, probably startling the three she left behind but she didn’t care. Tears streamed down her face, her cheeks chilled by the wetness and the wind. Is this what true helplessness felt like? Being useless? Being unable to help?

Another explosion sounded behind her. Was that another helicopter? Chai shook her head fiercely and kept forward. She couldn’t think about this. She needed to think about where she was going, and what she would do when she got there. 

_‘If she were to send help, would that not be more entertaining?’_

_Yes, “Prince” Vegeta. I think that would be more entertaining._

“Kinto Un, Kame House,” Chai said, quietly. The small gold cloud braked to a stop suddenly to turn and take off south. They’d hardly lost a second’s time.

When Chai arrived at Kame House, all of the usual suspects were there: Muten Roshi-sama, Oolong-san, Puar-san, Kame-san, and Bulma-Obasan, as well as her Mama and Grandpa. Grandpa knelt by Mama who was passed out on the couch with a wet towel over her head, and the rest were crowded around a television that came in and out of focus, showing the fight that Chai just flew away from. A tall three-eyed man and a small pale boy, neither of whom Chai recognized, were there now, as well as Yamcha-san. Her “help” had already arrived before she’d even touched down. Papa, however, was nowhere to be seen.

The girl frowned as she approached her mother, more tears dotting her eyes. _Mama… Oh, Mama, I didn’t mean to cause you pain_

“Chai-chan!!” Grandpa cried out, pulling the girl into a tight hug. The man had gotten soft in his old age but it just made him more comforting, like Chai’s biggest stuffed dinosaur. He even smelled like smoke and triceratops. 

“Gra-grandpa!!” the girl began bawling into his arms. Her shoulders shook under his arms as tears poured out of her eyes.

“Chai-chan!!! Chai-chan!!!” Chi-chi suddenly screeched behind her, pushing herself up against her daughter’s back in an attempt to steal the girl from the larger man’s arms, but only managed to cry simultaneously into his chest and Chai’s hair. Despite her mother’s erratic, desperate ki, her sweet scent of wool and wildflowers mixed with her grandpa’s to nearly smell like home.

“Go-gohan!!!” Grandpa exclaimed, suddenly.

The three pulled apart as Chi-chi shot herself between Bulma and Muten Roshi to get as close to the television as possible. On the flickering screen, it showed Gohan in a wide-legged stance with a hard look on his face.

“Gohan-chan… Gohan-chan,” Chi-chi muttered. The tone of defeat in the matriarch’s voice made Chai’s heart sink. She felt even more guilty for going to where the Saiyajins had arrived in the first place.

_What was I thinking?_


	5. Can You Hear Me Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chai returns to the Ox Kingdom to find that they've been attacked.
> 
> Chibi Chai watches from afar as her Papa's friends face the Saiya-jins.
> 
> Title comes from "Hear Me Now" Framing Hanley.
> 
> This one is a bit longer to make up for going off schedule. And again, rate and review =)

The air was suffocating. Smoke and ash; screaming, crying, and the feel of panic thicker than the grey plumes that filled the Ox Kingdom. The castle was now only half standing. Chai could see from where she floated that the armory and garrison were gone, along with the dry storage, parts of the dining hall, throne room, and her own chambers. What wasn’t gone was being consumed by fire. 

_Someone seemed to think that I’d be home. They’re lucky I wasn’t. Things would not have gotten this far._

There was still chaos on the ground. Buildings and homes burned as well, and people scrambling to and fro, trying to gather their loved ones and belongings, running around in a frantic state. The queen landed, tail tight to her waist, and tried to find what members of court she could to have them direct the people towards the river about 25 miles south. It was the farthest point of the Ox Kingdom’s borders and where she couldn’t detect any fighting. It was probably the invading army’s intent to drive them there, and trap the citizens of the Ox Kingdom, but what most of the other twelve kingdom’s didn’t know was that the Ox Queen was half alien. 

“To the river! Take your families to the river!” Chai shouted as she moved from one square to the next, trying to save as many as possible. All of the erratic ki, however, was making it impossible for her to focus. Worse, there was less ki flickering throughout the kingdom than there should have been. Much less.

Not far away, Chai could feel and hear battle being commenced. Metal clanged, cries of pain sounded, and explosions boomed in the air. She could sense that her remaining soldiers were now fully engaged with what had to be two more armies, from the amount of ki that came from several miles away. What didn’t feel right was again the lacking of ki. 

_I need to get over there, but I need to make sure the civilians are being looked after._

Tsuchi flashed through Chai’s mind but no, the girl was healing. Still, perhaps she should have had the girl come. Chai quickly tracked the ki of her court and felt the air leave her lungs. Counselor Cassia, Chancellor Rue, General Cayenne. None of their ki’s could be detected. For a moment, she was tempted to seek out General Clove but she stopped herself. He was her best general. He was fine. And besides, he promised to reach out to her if things were bad. 

Chai flexed out her ki for the rest. Basil was near the river with several other ki, as instructed. She noted to herself to reward the Steward somehow. 

Tarragon was at the medical bay, as expected. The queen had caught that the concentration of ki there was incredibly high, and pushed back the surge of emotion that threatened to show itself. It didn’t surprise her, but it was something else to actually feel hundreds of your own people suffering and dying.

Chai then felt out for her archivist, Cinna, and felt her heart drop. The castle… The demi took off with her Saiya-jin speed to where the ki emanated.

_Cinna can’t be that foolish._

The archives, artifacts, and trophies were stored in the same triple locked room. It was tricky to access the first two sections, however, the third was impossible for those who were not members of the Gyamao family, or the honored archivist. 

The queen found herself in the dining room as it continued to burn. She couldn’t think of a way to put out the flames without risking blowing away the entire castle, Cinna with it. She’d simply have to work quickly. 

She made her way to the back left corner where a painting of the original queen sat overlooking her descendants. It was one of the few things that survived previous fires. The first Queen Chai. The current queen pulled one sai from its sheath and felt through the smoke to wedge it between the painting and the wall for the mechanism. It clicked a moment later, and the painting pulled open, revealing the pitch black room behind it. 

Chai levitated into the room. She remembered it was quite small. She also remembered that she now had ten minutes to get through the rooms and to Cinna before the doors would close themselves, increasing the possibility that the fire would trap them. She could already feel the sweat dripping from her face as it continued to consume more of the castle. There was clattering behind her as engulfed beams and walls fell inwards, catching more of it on fire.

_Focus._

Chai raised one hand directly in front of her, praying this would not make the situation worse. But it was the only way to open the door. She focused on the kiai, creating just as large of a blast as she thought she’d need and shot at the wall before her. There was a flash of white then an image of Fire Mountain burned into the wall, emitting the only light and showing off the mere twelve square feet of the room. It flickered then the embers spread to engulf the entire wall. As it fell away, Chai felt the fire behind her attract to the new heat she’d just created. 

_Shit._

Glass shattered and echoed through the castle. Chai knew some of the pressure from the fire would release into the open air, making it less likely that it would follow her in. Then again, it also gave the fire another path to follow. More material to burn and eat until this set of passages was all there was to eat. 

She forced herself forward to the next room. It was all stone with the exception of one glass wall. Beyond the crystalline, Chai could see the scrolls, the hanging armors and weapons that had won wars, and various treasures sacred to the Gyamao bloodline. Among them was Cinna, scorched and laying only a foot from the threshold.

Chai worked quickly, pricking her finger with her sai and painting the kanji for “Ox” in the middle of the glass. It wasn’t the image itself but the blood that dissolved it. This was enchanted by Uranai Baba herself. It could not be broken, blown up, or otherwise destroyed. Only the blood of the royal family, or of the archivist could open it. Chai stepped through. 

She knelt and picked up Cinna easily as a leatherbound book fell from the archivist’s limp hands. _Is this what Cinna was after?_ Chai didn’t recognize it but grabbed it with her tail anyways and tucked it into her chest as well. As she began for their escape, a blast of flames blew through the tunnel she’d created, throwing both against the opposite wall. 

A barrier burst from Chai’s chest and encircled them, protecting both from the flames and the rusted blades they would have been blown into. Fire roared around them, eating up all of Chai’s family history while she and Cinna sat in the middle. Worse, she could still feel the disappearing ki of her army. 

_I don’t have time for this._

The saiya-jin set down Cinna and the mysterious book and stood towards the edge of the barrier, near the flames. She closed her eyes and raised her ki for help, careful not to disperse the protective shield. Chai could only hope the right person felt it. 

Her mind wandered around the kingdom. Were there more survivors that needed safety? What of the battle? Did Clove reach Yerba? Who attacked us? Chai needed to get out of here so she could get answers.

Someone touched down not long after, their ki coming from outside the castle. He couldn’t do instant transmission but it was better than nothing. Chai reached out with her mind.

‘Piccolo-sama!’

‘Chai, where are you?”

‘In the castle. If you go to the dining hall, you’ll see a secret room.’

‘Let me deal with this fire, first. Hold tight, kid.’

Chai chuckled to herself and stopped putting out her aura. _Good, I can focus on this barrier._ For the demi, a fire would have been no problem. She could go super saiya-jin and practically walk through it, burning hotter than those flames. Cinna, however, wouldn’t survive. There was clattering and whooshing as more and more of the Ox Kingdom’s history was swallowed up by the fire, just as the fire before her parent’s wedding had done nearly thirty years ago. It was also swallowing oxygen.

‘Chai’

‘I’m here.’

‘I venture you’re beyond this open painting?’

‘Yes. I think I can see you, just walk -’

The sudden clinking of glass and clattering of stone broke Chai’s thoughts, and line of sight. The fire in the archives roared and consumed what was left quicker, licking at the edges of her barrier. Now both human and nature raced to stay alive.

‘What the hell happened?’ 

‘The doors rebuilt themselves. Where are you?’

Chai was drenched in sweat. It soaked her clothes. Matted her tail. Her breathing was also getting ragged. She slowly dropped to her knees. 

‘The dining hall. How do you open this blasted painting?’

‘It doesn’t matter. Only someone of okasan’s blood can open the last door.’

‘Fine then. Don’t die, kid.’

The queen smiled at his brusqueness. _Good ole Piccolo._ Chai found that she was gasping and crawled over to Cinna. She pressed her fingers to her neck and nodded at the steady pulse. _Gods, it’s warm._

The fire crackled around her. The queen looked around to find that her courtier and herself was all that was left of the room. And this. She picked up the book. It was bound around the middle and unmarked. _What could be so important?_

“Chai-chan!!! My baby!!!”

_Oh Kami…_

Chai looked up to see her mother running full speed from the first room to the stone one, stopping just short of the glass. And what she was wearing. Cape billowed behind her, pink gloves on her hands, and a bladed helmet on her head. 

_Why, Mama?_

Chi-chi removed one glove and pulled the boomerang-shaped blade from her headpiece, slicing open her fingers as Chai did before, yet she painted the symbol with more expertise. As though it were a practiced mantra. The glass dissolved before her and Piccolo blew his Destructive Wind at the flames before they could descend on himself and Chi-Chi. The fire disappeared around them, and Chai immediately lowered the barrier, nearly dragging Cinna and the book behind her to escape the confines of those rooms. 

Once in the dining hall, Chai shoved the book over her mother’s exposed stomach.

“Okasan, please take this home, and put some clothes on while you’re there.”

The older woman frowned and crossed her arms over her boosted chest. “This is traditional Ox Princess armor, Chai-chan.”

“And it should have burned with the other artifacts. Now Mama, please, I need this book safe.” Chai replied, then turned to the Namekian, who was looking away from them. She could see the contrasting red shade from here. “Piccolo, please take my mother home. And thank you.”

“Hmph,” Chi-Chi pouted but took the book anyway. Piccolo refused to look at the Son matriarch as he flew off with her. Chai then flew south towards the medical bay.

It was a stone longhouse-type building with six medics that each specialized in a different area of folk medicine and battle injuries. Tarragon headed the six, and was the most skilled physician in the kingdom. If she could not heal someone, then they were sent to one of the cities, but those instances were very rare. 

Chai carried Cinna inside, sidestepping here and there to make room for the people being shuffled in for their own injuries. Wounds, burns, severed limbs, and those who were seemingly unresponsive. The smell of blood, urine, saline, and herbs mixed in a sickly stench. Chai wretched at the smell but held herself together. She was the damned queen, after all. 

There were so many bodies. Not only the beds, but all chairs, tables, even counter space occupied with people who were too weak to stand. Those who could stand barely did so, leaning against walls, furniture, even each other. 

Halfway down the length of the medical bay, Tarragon knelt before a woman’s open legs, commanding her to push as the woman screamed from beyond her protruding belly. 

_Shitty timing to have a kid, or is it?_

Chai nearly smiled. 

“Your Majesty?” 

A nurse that Chai didn’t know approached her. The queen nodded towards her, and offered the bundle that was Cinna.

“I found him in the castle, passed out,” she explained, as the nurse struggled under the archivist’s weight. 

Chai helped her to find him a seat, half-slumped in a chair in the corner. 

“And yourself, ma’am?” the nurse asked, already checking Cinna’s vitals. 

Chai had begun to shed her father’s plaid shirt and unsheath her sai. 

“I’m fine, nurse. And if you’ll excuse me, I have a war to win.”

17 Years Earlier

The Kame House sat tensely, watching as the small green aliens attacked the “Z fighters”, as Bulma-Obasan called them. What was harder than watching the grainy fight, not being able to be there was watching their lips move, and not know what was being said. Did anyone have a plan? Did they have hope?

The screen zoomed in on Yamchua-san with a confident look on his face. A smirk even. That was good, right? The announcer discussed that he was a previous winner off a World Tenkaichi Tournament but did that matter? They’d already seen the power of the saiya-jins. These guys were on a completely different level of anyone here on Earth. In fact, the toughest people on the Earth were the Z fighters facing the saiya-jins… and Papa. But Papa still wasn’t here.

“Yamucha!!” Bulma-Obasan exclaimed, still fanning Chi-Chi, who had earlier fainted while watching Gohan take on one of the aliens. 

The bluenette pushed Muten Roshi-sama and Oolong-san out of the way to get a closer look.

“Bulma-san, you’ve taken with him again, haven’t you?” The pigman teased.

“D-Don’t be silly!!” Bulma replied, blushing. She unknowingly pushed herself up against a very pleased Roshi.

“Once they defeat the Saiya-Jins, you could get married, couldn’t you, Bulma-san?” Pu-ar suggested.

 _Married_ , Chai smiled at the woman. _That would be nice for Bulma, wouldn’t it? Have a few children as beautiful as herself. Yamucha wasn’t a bad looking man, and seemed nice enough. He was out there fighting for them, wasn’t he?_

Bulma then clasped her hands to her face, her blush deepening. “You don’t mean…. Mean marriage?” Her small smile betrayed her earlier statement, and everyone laughed along coyly until the announcer interrupted their momentary joy.

“That’s the face of Piccolo Daimon!!”

As everyone turned back to the television, the screen scanned along the profile of Piccolo-sama, then Gohan-kun. Suddenly, Yamucha ran at one of the green aliens and the two disappeared from sight.

“Wh-where did they go?” Chai asked.

“They’re right there still but moving so fast the untrained eye can’t see. Especially not the cameras,” Muten Roshi-sama answered.

Suddenly, they could see Yamucha as he let off a blast, sending the alien through the Earth. Everyone cheered, overcome with excitement as the young warrior stood victorious over the crater he’d just created. He turned back towards the Saiya-jins, smirk large enough to be seen even through the grainy composure of the television screen when another green alien launched at him, wrapping itself around his body.

“Yamucha! Yamucha! C’mon!! Shake him off!!!” Bulma-Obasan shouted at the screen.

He didn’t though. He stood there, struggling to move his arms and staring down at the monster with a scowl where his smirk once was. He struggled as the creature clasped itself completely around his body then suddenly glowed.

_Oh no._

There was another blast. As big and ghastly as the one Yamucha let off minutes ago. Another crater. No sign of the alien, but in the middle laid the warrior.

“What’s wrong with Yamucha?” Bulma quavered. She looked over at Oolong for an answer. 

“I-I’m not sure. I couldn’t hear what he said.” he answered.

Krillan-Ojiisan continued kneeling over the body. Yamucha’s body. Not moving.

Pu-ar’s eyes filled with tears as she gave off a small whimper before slamming herself into the television screen.

“Yamucha-sama! Yamucha-sama!” 

Over and over she screamed his name, tearfully. Chai looked up at Bulma, who was holding her head, shaking it. Chai flashed back to last year when Krillian and Roshi told her and Mama that Papa was dead. How Mama fainted, then even when she came to, she wouldn’t have it. She wouldn’t believe it. Bulma-Obasan now wasn’t having it. Chai could hear the woman thinking to herself, ‘No. Yamucha isn’t dead.’ just as vividly as her own mother screamed her denial at Papa’s death. 

Pu-ar was no longer speaking now, but crying. Bulma still held her head in her hands, saying nothing until Muten Roshi-sama put a hand on her shoulder.

“Bulma.”

She turned to him and Chai watched reality seep into the woman’s eyes. She began blinking and trembling. It was just like Mama. _Poor Obasan._ Bulma began shaking her head violently, tears escaping her eyes. 

“No!!!!!” she screamed and threw herself at Muten-Roshi who just placed an arm around her as she sobbed loudly and shook her head. Chai remembered being told how touchy and lecherous Roshi could be. How he’d particularly try to cop a feel at the bluenette who currently cried against him. _How much pain she must now feel to turn to Muten Roshi-sama._

_Papa… Papa, we need you. Please. Before more people die._

Eventually Bulma’s sobs quieted as Roshi continued to comfort her. Pu-ar also quieted before sinking down from the tv and fainted. Somehow the depth of the cat’s pain reopened Bulma’s own emotional wound as she began bawling into Roshi’s shoulder again as loudly as before. That was all that could be heard. Not the waves, not the wind, not the announcer, or the crackling of an old television set. Just Bulma’s tears at a man she loved dead.

Oolong picked up Pu-ar and began to take her over to the couch where Mama still laid, in her own fainting spell. 

“My, my, the couch is going to be quite full today,” the hermit chuckled. He then turned the bluenette. “Come now, Bulma. Take heart.” 

She ripped herself from him, her arms at her sides. “What are you talking about?! How can I be calm with Yamucha dying?!” She screamed before falling back into his arms in tears.

Chai slowly pulled herself back to her feet.

“Muten Roshi-sama?”

“Hmmm?” he turned to her.

“If I may, I am going to make some tea for everyone,” Chai shyly suggested.

“Ah, yes, Chai-chan. That would be good,” he nodded.

The girl made her way to the kitchen and began a kettle of water on the stove top. There was only one teapot and instead of the recently dried leaves the girl was used to, Roshi had prefilled tea bags of various kinds. The girl chose a variety of green tea and placed a few bags in the teapot and filled the bottom just barely with cold water so it wouldn’t crack from the hot water. As the water on the pot came to a boil, a memory entered Chai’s mind.

_There was the sound of shattered ceramic then Mama shouting. She was round with pregnancy, only a few months before the family was to expect their new baby._

_“Goku-sa!!! How many times do I have to tell you!? Temper the pot first!!”_

_“Aww, Chi-Chi. I was just trying to help ya. And besides, why does the pot have a temper?”_

_“Ugh! Goku-sa. The heat from the boiling water is too much for the pot so you add cold to the bottom first to cool the hot water as you pour it.”_

_Papa scratched the back of his neck, with a confused expression. “But then wouldn’t the tea not brew right if the water is cool?”_

_“That’s why you put the tea leaves in the net at the top of the pot, Goku!! So the water touches those first!”_

_Papa then laughed heartily. “Oh, Chi. Why didn’t ya say so!?”_

_The next day, while at the market, Mama was looking over the fresh vegetables, shouting prices back and forth with the vendor while Chai sat on her Papa’s shoulders, her tail hanging down his back, as he snuck away from his wife._

_“Where are we going Papa?” Chai’s head and pigtails bounced as Goku walked, his heavy footfalls reverberating upwards._

_“Just gonna get a surprise for your Ma,” he chuckled._

_They walked past meats, fishes, and flowers, the girl wondering what they could possibly be getting for Mama._

_“Here we go!” Papa exclaimed, stopping before a table filled with vases, pretty plates and bowls, large enough to fill Papa’s appetite, figurines, and other housewares. Chai placed her face next to Goku’s as he picked up a large teapot. It was dark blue with yellow and red flowers painted on it. He chuckled in the way only Papa could._

_“Chi-Chi will love it.”_

She could hear cheering from the living room and peeked in but she could only see Bulma strangling Oolong in her excitement. 

“Did we win!!!!!?” she called out but no one answered. 

The girl frowned but tried not to think anything of it. Winning was the point, right? Getting rid of the Saiya-jins, even if they were the same race as her. She carefully poured the boiling water over the leaves and watched it turn the water a pretty chlorophyll hue. Pleased with her tea brewing, Chai placed the pot and several tea cups on a tray and began towards the living room, concentrating hard on not dropping it.

The energy in the room was different from what she was just hearing. Somber. Heavy. Like when she left.

“No… no… Chaotzu…” Oolong whispered.

“What happened?” Chai asked, shakily setting down the tray.

“Chaotzu sacrificed himself to take out the big one. He d-didn’t even leave a scratch. But he’s dead. Chaotzu’s dead…” the pigman answered.

 _Chaotzu… he didn’t look any older than Gohan…_

Chai sat down to Bulma-Obasan’s right, in front of the television. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks red but at least she wasn’t crying anymore. Roshi and Oolong were also seated before the small screen. It was now flipping in and out of focus worse than before, but what little Chai could tell, the broad, three-eyed man - T-Ten, right? Tenshinhan - was now facing off with the one called Nappa. Chai thought his arm was missing. Suddenly, the screen blanked out entirely, displaying only grey stripes.

“More trouble with this? What on earth is the problem?!” Bulma exclaimed, messing with the settings on the television.

“This doesn’t look good,” Muten Roshi-sama said.

Chai was shaking. She was suddenly aware of the ki on that battlefield. The large, fierce energy of the Saiya-jins, Piccolo-sama’s determined but shaken focus, Krillan’s anger and fear at the death of those around him, Tenshinhan’s dampening ki, Gohan-kun’s suffocating dread.

_I-I can’t stand this. I can’t sit here. But I’m useless there. But I can’t do nothing. I can’t not know what is going on._

Chai turned and looked at her mother, passed out still with a wet rag over her forehead. How many times now did she see her Mama like this rather than her feisty, vivacious self? How she would hurt if her baby died… And yet Papa wasn’t here yet to protect Gohan-kun. I can’t let that happen.

“I’m sorry,” the girl whispered before running out the door. 

“Kinto Un!!!”

She couldn’t think as they flew over mountaintops as quickly as Kinto Un could manage. All Chai could do was feel the various ki’s of her enemies and comrades, all overwhelming her the closer she got to where the battle was taking place. Her tail was frazzled and out in a straight line, like a spooked cat. The girl gasped when she arrived.

There were several craters. One large enough to fit a car. Yamucha’s body she could now easily see, charred and burned all over. Tenshinhan was also on the ground but he was still giving off a ki signal. Piccolo and Krillan, both sweaty, scratched, dirty and slightly bloody, hovered in the air, while Nappa, now looking a bit rough himself, also hovered, ready for battle. Vegeta stood, slightly off to the side, completely untouched. There were also parts and pieces of the green aliens. Hands, legs, bits of their heads. Chai thought she could see one eyeball. Where is Gohan-kun? She could feel him but not see him.

Blood, dust, and a horrible burnt smell filled the air. It smelled like overcooked pig skin mixed with copper and Chai silently wondered if that was what human flesh smelled like when it burned. 

Piccolo-sama and Krillan-Ojiisan glanced over at her momentarily and she watched their faces harden. The Saiya-jin’s didn’t seem to notice her or if they did, they didn’t say. 

“Kinto Un, let’s go higher up,” Chai whispered. She didn’t want to get in their way, but she did want to watch.

“Alright then! Let’s attack first!” Piccolo-sama shouted. 

His ki suddenly began to flare as his body swelled. Chai had never seen the Namekian fight and watched in awe as two more Piccolo’s sprang suddenly from his body. To her surprise, Krillan-Ojiisan did the same thing with little effort. _Humans can do that?_ The six then jumped on Nappa, seemingly overwhelming him.

The girl and the cloud took this opportunity to move about and try to pinpoint Gohan. He actually felt fine. Untouched. But terrified. _Of course, he’s five years old. Barely a baby._ She found her brother hiding behind a large rock, staying in the shadows but staring up at the fight with terror plain on his face. He looked nearly in tears. _It should be me down there. Me who learned to fight and risked herself against the Saiya-jins. Not Gohan-kun._ But no, instead she was learning to be queen. In a few more years, on her thirteenth birthday, Chai would be visiting with the nearby prince’s to find a husband. It all seemed so trite. 

She floated down next to Gohan and jumped off the golden cloud. Chai reached one hand to touch his shoulder but he didn’t respond, stuck in his stupor and staring above them. Her eyes followed his to watch as Nappa suddenly took the upper hand and easily slammed down all of the Krillans into the ground. The Piccolos only lasted a moment longer before receiving the same fate. 

“No,” Gohan whispered, then took off. 

“Gohan!!!!” Chai screamed, following him. 

Despite her lacking in training, she kept up, running as fast as he did, jumping over craters as well as he could, including the huge one. They ran towards Piccolo’s body, as Gohan yelled out for him. When the Namekian threw Gohan off of him, Chai skidded to a stop and stared, mouth agape. How dare he toss her brother aside?! Didn’t he know what he meant to the boy?

Gohan hit a nearby boulder with a thud but got up shortly after. Piccolo stood as well as the girl ran around him towards her brother. 

“Gohan-kun!”

“Ojiisan…” Gohan called to Piccolo.

“We don’t need cowards like you.” the green man gritted. “Go on home to bed!” then took to the air again. 

“What…” Chai began but Gohan shook his head.

“I-I froze Onee-san… Krillan-san, Piccolo-sama and I were supposed to attack Nappa earlier and I….. froze… “

Chai took her brother by the shoulders and stared in his face. “It’s fine, Ototou-kun. You’re just a kid and these things - ”

The sudden sound of rocks breaking interrupted her. The siblings looked over as Tenshinhan struggled to crawl behind a rock for repreve. Chai had been right, she saw. He was missing his left forearm. The two took off towards him as he paused his movements. 

“Tenshinhan! Are you dead?” Gohan cried as they reached out to help him. He wasn’t moving however and as the battle went on above them, the wind gusted around violently, spreading large chunks of rock and debris around as Piccolo-san and Nappa threw each other through the large rock formations.

“Gohan… we need to get him out of here,” Chai said. 

He nodded his understanding as Tenshinhan began to reach out in front of him again, whispering Chaozu’s name. 

“Tenshinhan-san,” Gohan whispered as the man got to his feet again. 

He trembled violently, walking closer to the fight. “Chaozu, I will avenge you and then I’ll be coming. I won't let you be lonesome all by yourself.”

The man raised his ki and began to glow. He whispered something to himself that neither sibling could hear.

“Kikoho!!!!!” 

A large yellow blast emanated from Tenshinhan’s entire being and aimed at Nappa. The whole valley glowed, Gohan and Chai shielding their eyes, both hearts full of hope. Something had to give. Something had to work. The large Saiya-jin couldn’t be this much of a monster, could he?   
When the blast dissipated and the dust settled, however, their hopes were dashed. Nappa was still in the air, his ki hardly bothered by the attack and Tenshinhan collapsed to the ground. Dead. Chai trembled at, falling to her knees, her tail lifeless behind her.

That made three. 

_Papa where are you? Why aren’t you here? Don’t you care your friends are dying?_

“Goku!!! Get here soon!!” Uncle Krillan shouted to the skies. “Goku!!! Please Goku!!!!”


	6. Your Turn is Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku's perspective: Chai enters the battlefield.
> 
> Chibi Chai watches as Nappa destroys everything around her.
> 
> Title is from "No One Gets Left Behind" - Five Finger Death Punch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that I took forever. This chapter is a bit longer and the fight scenes made me a little nervous.  
> As always, rate and review, even criticism!!!

It was the first time Goku realized that he’d never observed Chai in battle before. All of his other kids, sure. 

Tsuchi practiced with Chi-Chi occasionally, which the Saiya-jin enjoyed for more reasons than one. Goten had faced off against Trunks in the World Tournament before Buu messed all that up. And Gohan fought Cell, then later defeated him with Chai - though that fight mostly belonged to his son. Chai, though… huh… Now that Goku thought about it, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever watched the girl spar. 

She was awesome. 

The Son patriarch watched as the girl swept under a sword and swiped across her opponent’s heels, falling them before blasting another through the stomach. She weaved around certain people, who Goku assumed were her own soldiers, put her sai through someone’s throat, then jumped up to kick other poor bastard hard enough to break his neck. The man chuckled as he watched the head bob to one side like a broken doll.

“Hmm… your girl is more brutal than I thought, Kakkarot. Seems that softness your other brats have didn’t infect her Saiya-jins instincts.”

“Guess not,” Goku chuckled.

Something seemed to catch the queen’s eye. She walked with purpose, her wrapped tail fluffed, and a very unhappy look on her face. Gohan got that look sometimes. _Huh, is that what my face looks like when I’m mad?_ Goku followed her field of vision and spotted his wife’s nephew, Yerba… or was that Matei? He could never tell the difference. 

Someone charged at Chai and she plunged an arm through them without looking, and whipped her hand to toss off the blood. Someone else came at her with an axe aimed at her throat. Chai grabbed their wrist at the last moment and lifted the entire man above her head. She tilted her head to the side and looked them in the face before throwing them against another soldier on a horse, knocking both to the ground. Five more came and she blasted them in a swift motion. 

Goku smiled widely, his chest bursting with pride. He looked over to Mirai Trunks who watched with a frown. His eyes, however, gleamed with pride.

“Ya did good,” he called over to the demi.

A shocked expression came over the young man’s face momentarily, then a more humble smile. Trunks bowed his head in Goku’s direction. “Thank you, Goku-san, but really I didn’t teach her everything. A lot of it is pure talent.”

“Yeah but you brought it outta her.”

Mirai turned back to the girl with a look that Goku didn’t entirely recognize. _Doesn’t Gohan sometimes look at Videl that way? Nah._ “I-I just wanted her to protect herself. To stay alive.” 

Goku also brought his attention back to Chai. She was still heading in Yerba/Matei’s direction, and taking her time doing so. He saw that her expression had grown more grave in the few minutes that he hadn’t been watching. There was a lot of death on the ground. That much he could feel. _Probably hurts her_ , he decided. It was honestly a pity that so many had to suffer but from what little he learned about the Twelve Kingdoms, this was part of the deal. Kingdoms meant war. It was a bit of the reason he never bothered himself with any of it. 

Another woman on a horse did some hand motions and Chai stopped suddenly. Shortly afterwards, a sudden wave of weakness and fatigue washed over the three Saiya-jins in midair. They all faltered when Vegeta yelled for them to move back. They did so, now floating too far away for Goku to hear much of what was going on. But he could see, and that was important.

_Wonder if King Kai would take her on? Though… I don’t really want Chai to die…_

“Those of you who rely on ki for battle, retreat!!! Take the fallen with you!!! No one gets left behind!!!!” Chai’s voice erupted from below. Huh, so that was the problem. “The rest of you, with me!!! May your gods be with you and your ancestors smile upon you!!!” 

Trunks began to fly forward when Vegeta shouted at him, making the demi freeze.

“Boy, are you deaf?! Ki is useless down there!!”

“I’m still a swordsman and a martial artist! I can help her!!”

“Psh. She doesn’t need help. Look!”

The older Saiya-jin was right. Chai didn’t seem to slow down much at all, and yeah, Goku could feel from here how much weaker she was but the girl’s power still dwarfed everyone else’s. She changed direction entirely, heading for the woman who seemed to kill the ki. Now both sai were out as Chai chopped, ducked, sliced, dove, grabbed, kicked, and stabbed her way through. Goku smiled at his unstoppable daughter as more soldiers and another fancy lookin’ prince on a horse came downwards. _What is with everyone and horses?_

“Man, Vegeta, even you use good ole fashioned legs.”

“What the hell are you prattling on about?”

Goku then gestured downwards. “All these princes and princesses. They sit on horses and give orders but don’t really fight.”

“Hn. It’s a weakling’s way of rule,” Vegeta paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. “It’s why Frieza eventually fell. Strength is pointless if you hardly use it.”

As the battle continued on below, several soldiers from the new army suddenly surrounded Chai. She stood tall, waiting for the first to attack. One on the left came at her with a barrage of kicks, attempting to force her into another soldier but Chai simply dodged each one from where she stood before delivering her own kick to his gut. He flew several feet as another came up from her other side with a flying kick. She ducked down, back kicking another as she did so. There was the sound of knee caps breaking. and the former caught himself in front of another soldier who was already mid-punch. Goku laughed as the guy punched his comrade. Another came at Chai with a series of palm strikes. One actually caught but she didn’t give notice, instead stabbing him through the hand at the next strike. He screamed out loud enough for the Saiya-jins to hear before Chai sliced his throat open. Another actually caught the girl off guard and charged into her from the side, tossing the girl. She rolled, then caught herself on her knees just as he came again. She crossed the sai in front of her swiftly and he fell to the ground. 

The demi then got to her feet and shouted at the fancy new prince, pointing with her weapon at the woman. There was more talking that Goku wished would hurry along, since he couldn’t hear anyways, then the two nodded at each other before Chai continued towards the lady who killed the ki.

The young queen reached her target and grabbed the other woman by the arm, yanking her from the horse and threw her to the mud. There was some talking between the two but Goku couldn’t catch it. He did catch, however, how Chai plunged her sai into the woman’s head. After the lady hit the ground, Chai pointed her hand behind her and blasted another soldier who tried to sneak up on her.

“See, Trunks, she’s fine!! She even has her ki back!!!” Goku cheered. 

He moved closer, not much caring if the other two followed or not. He wanted a better look and to hear what his daughter said. She could sometimes be as feisty as Chi-Chi and it was funny when it wasn’t directed at him.

“MATEI!!!!” Chai roared before taking to the air and flying directly into her cousin, knocking him over with her force. “DEFEND YOURSELF, COUSIN!!!”

“At least _she_ knows which one that is!!” Goku exclaimed.

There was clanging as the Earthling prince drew a sword and defended himself quite sparsely against Chai, who was not fighting nearly at her best. In fact, she was only parrying but not going at him.

“But, Goku-san, isn’t that your nephew? How do you not know who he is?” Trunks asked, coming up from behind.

“Well, he and Yerba are twins so it’s kinda hard. They have the same face and everything.”

Both were now on their feet. Matei charged at Chai who simply dodged his blows, her arms at her sides. Why wasn’t she attacking?

“More twins, Karrarot? No wonder you’re all such clowns!! The brains get split everytime you breed,” Vegeta snickered.

“Eh… just Chi’s side I think… Don’t Saiya-jins have twins?”

“I can’t really speak for everyone else, but not in my family. In fact, we only bear sons. A girl hasn’t been born to the House of Vegeta in over 1,000 years.”

“Is it true?” Goku barely heard Chai ask her cousin. “Is it true you killed your brother at the behest of Princess Rooibos?” That woman must have been the princess that she was talking about. She barely lifted her arm, parrying an attempt at her throat.

“Yes,” the prince hissed. “She and I were going to join forces and kingdoms. Couldn’t really do it with Yerba on the throne though, or her brother, Prince Hibiscus, alive.” He then came at her with an overhead strike that the young queen easily blocked. With a forward thrust, she threw him off of her.

“Your own brother though. Why?”

“He was ineffective!! Being merciful, making deals that didn’t keep gold in the coffers, letting you do whatever simply because our grandfathers are brothers!?!? Absurd!!” He came at her again and Chai just kicked him down. The thud as he fell gave her a slight twinge of satisfaction. She walked towards him.

“I always make good, Matei. And he was your _brother_!!”

“I WOULD HAVE RULED BOTH THE HORSE AND RAT KINGDOMS!!! EVERY NIGHT ROOIBOS PROMISED ME!!! EVENTUALLY WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOURS AS WELL!!!!!”

_Ah. Of course. Men do stupid shit for some tail. And take my kingdom? Not even with all of the other kingdoms at your side._

Chai looked Prince Matei right in the face, forcing neutrality into hers. She shook her head. It clearly didn’t matter that they were cousins. Hell, it didn’t matter to him that Yerba was his brother. Chai tightened her jaw and stared at the traitor. No matter they led different kingdoms - how many times did the bastard say “Family takes care of family”? 

“I hope her pussy was half-decent,” she spat then raised her hand to his face. She didn’t even notice the energy used to blast him away. She only noticed the absence of his ki and body.

King Yerba was dead. Prince Matei was dead. Princess Rooibos was dead. Not only did that leave the Horse Kingdom leaderless, that decided the war in the Rat Kingdom. Chai rose into the sky several feet above the fighting.

“All of you, hear me and hear me well!!!” 

The noises of battle slowly came to a halt, leaving only the sound of fires burning and the groaning of those injured or nearly dead. Moments later there was the sound of cheering and hollering, presumably from the soldiers of the Ox Kingdom at seeing their queen alive and unscathed.

“People of the Horse Kingdom, your King is dead!!! My cousin, King Yerba, has been dead for months!!” 

There was murmuring among the crowd, crying and screaming even but not much else. One person called her a liar but did not act on their accusation. Good. She had their attention.

“He who you’ve followed to fight on MY soil was Prince Matei, who murdered his brother for the throne!! I should have ALL OF YOU put to death for disloyalty to your king, but even I could not tell the difference for quite some time!! If you wish to make amends for your actions you will drop your weapons now and march back to your land where Duchess Chamomile will be waiting to deal with you!! If any of you are thinking of continuing this mutinous treason once you arrive, do not bother for she and I are in good relations!!” 

Even from her position, Chai could feel the clattering of weapons. Not enough to be all of the remaining Horses but a significant chunk. 

“And as for YOU of the Rat Kingdom!!! Those loyal to Princess Rooibos, you have lost!! I have taken the life of Her Highness, not for any reason but her seduction of my cousin, Matei, which led to the death of Yerba!! You have brought your BULLSHIT to my doorstep, to my family, and this is the result!! I leave you to the mercy of your Prince!!!”

“I will not forget this, Your Grace,” Prince Hibiscus called up to Chai, who simply nodded. He then turned his large coral eyes to the subjects of the Rat Kingdom. “Soldiers, please escort my sister’s followers back to Peace Meadow!” 

As they also made their exit, leaving now mostly only members of the Ox Kingdom. Chai could tell from where she floated that there were only a few thousand soldiers left, out of the 15,000 she started with. 

“Fellow Ox!!! You have fought valiantly and with little warning to arouse your senses to battle!! Yet here you still stand!! I am proud to be your Queen!! If you go to the river, you will find your families and those who are now in need of family! Please show to each other as much compassion as you have shown your enemies brutality!!”

Chai lowered herself to the ground slowly, wishing only for her people to walk past her to hurry to their families. All she wanted to do was hurry to her own. She could already feel the death and destruction around her beginning to weigh on her. Saiya-jin or not, Chai did not like burying her countrymen. Worse, she could tell that whole families were gone now, after centuries of survival. 

_I need a bottle of pinot noir to cry into._

“Your Grace!” Basil called from a few feet away. 

He was carrying a helmet in his hand, and something else. Chai recognized the helmet with the tall horns sticking out. She looked up at her courtier and nodded her acknowledgement.

The man bowed before her and presented the discarded bit of armor. His voice was as quiet as she’d ever heard it. “General Clove, Your Majesty.”

Her throat trembled as she took the helmet. He wasn’t just her general. They were friends. Good friends. One of the few people at court that she could be herself around. 

“And this,” Basil continued in an even quieter voice. His hand quivered as he handed Chai the small box. 

She swallowed back her emotions. “If you know the name of his intended, I will personally pass on the misfortune.”

Basil looked down, completely avoiding the queen’s eyes and exhaled, shakily. He then nodded his head a few times. It occurred to her that Basil knew Clove’s sweetheart. 

“Your Majesty, the general… he was quite taken… with you…”

_Oh, Kami, no._

“Basil…” 

“You’d been... lonely... for quite some time… he was planning on… asking you to consider…”

“...Marrying him…”

“I deeply apologize, My Queen.”

Chai simply nodded, her tail repeating that motion of comfort around her thigh.

“I wish to be alone.” 

She took off at the height of her Saiya-jin speed, not sure where she was going but sure that she needed to be alone. This was too much. It happened so fast. How did everything go to hell so fast?

When she stopped, Chai found herself in the middle of the charred remains of her castle. Her castle, which she had built, burned to the ground. The castle of Gyamao was destroyed again. It was like a never-ending curse, except in Chai’s case, her castle did not burn by the accident of a mismanaged fire. War burned down her home. It burned down thousands of homes. It killed thousands.

She couldn’t even recognize it. Even the paintings of the previous monarchs were destroyed. The last images of her grandmother were gone. The only portrait of the original queen, gone. Thousands of archives, centuries of history, gone. Families gone. 

Chai’s body shook as though the ground was trembling below her then she realized it was. The ground trembled under her agony. Her tail swayed wildly. The Saiya-jin screamed out, not even feeling the transformation her body took or the energy that poured from her veins. In her rage, Chai destroyed what was left of the castle and it almost felt good. The power flowing through her eased the pain, the loss, the utter fucking failure. 

The woman dropped to her knees without realizing, tears falling like cascades down her cheeks as the screams echoed from her throat. When was the last time she lost control like this and just let the Saiya-jin in her rage? 

Her people would probably fear her now, but what was the fucking point? How many of them were even left?

Three Saiya-jin’s touched down near her, no doubt drawn by her sudden ascendance. She heard her name being called. Dad was finally here. 

_Papa… where were you? I needed you, Papa… I really needed you. My people needed you…_

Vegeta-san was here too. His ki was calm as ever. What happened here was really of no concern to him, but Chai knew it’d been a long time since she felt the need to go Super Saiya-jin. Surely it made the Prince curious. And here she bawled in his presence. 

_How humiliating…_

Chai swallowed and sniffled but the tears just wouldn’t stop. The ki that was missing from the kingdom made it feel so hollow and empty. And Clove… 

_You… you cared for me. And I repaid it with your death…_

Yet the guilt she felt at that only increased her guilt at…. 

_No… no._

The rage-induced transformation burned itself out but Chai still knelt and cried. She felt like a child. Not the proud queen she convinced herself she was. She could still sense them calling to her but it didn’t matter. 

None of it mattered. 

Someone crouched down before her. She didn’t look up or try to differentiate the ki. She didn’t want to know who it was. 

It didn’t matter.

“So-so many… so many died… entire families gone… bloodlines lost… just gone… half of my court… dead… loyal and dead… over 12,000 soldiers… in minutes… fucking minutes… gone… I sent… to their deaths… and left… i left and… we were attacked… i-i failed… I'm no queen…” Chai gasped out between sobs. 

"We can just rebuild, hon," Goku said nonchalantly. "It's not the first time."

The woman just shook her head, violently. "There's so few left. What- what do I tell them… how do I face them?"

A familiar hand cupped her chin and turned her face upwards but she refused to meet his eyes. He didn’t need to hear this… he had his own problems. 

“Chai, look at me,” Trunks said, softly.

She shook her head. 

“I’m no queen…”

“Yes, you are. And this isn’t your fault” 

The assuredness of his statement sent another round of trembling through her body. _How can anyone believe that? I have failed my people._

“No,” she whimpered, shaking her head. The tears had stopped for now. “I’m a farce. So-so many died… ” she then opened up her hands, gesturing all around her. “This… this was my responsibility.”

“You didn’t know the Rat War was going to end up here, and you didn’t know Matei killed Yerba.”

“How…?”

“We heard all of it, Chai. And saw. You were really awesome out there!” Goku said, gleefully.

 _So it wasn’t me going Saiya-jin. It was the feel of battle._

The woman continued to shake her head. “I may be a warrior, but I’m not a queen.”

“Fine, Chai. You’re not a queen. And I’m not a time-traveling, half-alien prince,” Trunks said, sarcastically.

There were chuckles from their fathers, but Chai didn’t know what was so damned funny. It was true. She was queen for twelve years and managed to turn the Ox Kingdom on it’s head. Her whole body shook and she looked away in shame. She felt another hand palm her other cheek and her face turned upwards so that she had to face Trunks in all of her blubbering glory. Yet he looked at her without an ounce of judgement. He was all softness, save for an intense gaze. Parts of her that she thought she locked away roared to be closer. 

_No. No. That was years ago. We aren’t doing this again._

“Come here,” he whispered.

She shook her head, tears still dripping from her eyes. Her inner beast, however, roared at her hesitation. _We will hurt again…_ yet other words rolled around her mind. _Safe. Comfort._

 _Mate._

_No_ , the human side of her mind croaked.

“Chai,” he whispered, thumbs running over the tears that fell on her cheeks.

Before she knew what her body was doing, Chai cleared the distance between them and buried her face in the time traveller’s chest, his hands moving to the back of her head and her waist to hold the young queen as she fell apart. Similarly, her tail moved to embrace him in return. If the young prince still had his tail, Chai assumed the two would have entwined in an involuntary act of comfort, as she once heard they would do. The damned thing seemed to act entirely on the whims of her inner Saiya-jin.

“Ummm… Vegeta?” Goku whispered.

“Quiet, fool!” the Prince hissed.

There was murmuring between their fathers several feet away but Chai didn’t care right now. She felt Trunks rest his chin on her head and she gripped his shirt, crying into the fabric and taking in the entirety of his presence. His smell, his embrace, his ki. Her inner beast calmed, no longer thrashing around inside her. She felt so safe, and knew she’d later regret this moment.

17 Years Earlier

“Another one has been taken care of! Your turn comes next! Or perhaps, I let you watch the brats die first!!” Nappa shouted with glee.

The boy shivered, staring up at the behemoth. Chai filled with dread, though she refused to show it. If Gohan couldn’t do anything, and Piccolo-sama and Ojiisan couldn’t stand up to them either, then what could she possibly do? What was she doing here? What was being brave if you could do nothing with it…?

Piccolo-sama and Ojiisan took to the ground suddenly. 

_What are they -_

“Here goes!” the giant Saiya-jin shouted, coming at the men at full speed. Chai could even see the glowing aura trailing behind him as he flew.

Gohan-kun covered his eyes and crouched down, yelling for Papa over and over again. _He’s just a baby! Just a baby!_ Chai wrapped her arms around her brother, her fear shivering through her. _What do we do?! Do we fly away? Do I take Gohan to Muten Roshi-sama’s? Will that monster follow us?? Mama…. No, we must stay here…_

He was getting closer. His ki rising. The air filled with terror. Even the plants writhed, knowing what was coming.

_Stay here and die…_

Piccolo-sama and Krillin-ojiisan screamed. Even they didn’t know what to do.

_Goodbye Mama… Papa we’ll see you soon..._

“Wait, Nappa!!” the small prince called out.

The air stilled suddenly with Nappa’s movement. He froze midair, fist and teeth clenched to finish his assault. 

“Wh-what is it? Why don’t you just let me get them?”

“Don’t be hasty. There’s something I want to ask them.”

Still holding onto her baby brother, Chai turned her face to observe as the two talked. It was interesting how to giant one so obeyed Vegeta. Granted, he was the prince but if Chai understood correctly, they and her Papa were the only full-blooded saiya-jins left. Was it loyalty that kept Nappa towed, or was Vegeta that much more powerful than him?

“This Son Goku person you’re talking about is Kakarrot, isn’t it?” the small saiya-jin asked.

“Yes. What of it?” Krillin answered. 

The prince only laughed. “To think that you are falling back on Kakarott…”

“You just wait until my Papa gets here!! He’s gonna whoop you!” Chai shouted over.

“He couldn’t even stand against Raditz.” Vegeta answered, cooly. He didn’t even bother looking over at the girl. “What good will he do you when he gets here?”

“He won't be the same as he was back then! He’s sure to be much, much stronger!” the monk answered.

“Don’t you look down your noses at Son Goku!” Piccolo-sama added.

A venomous laugh came from above. The fiend, Nappa, righted himself and floated effortlessly above them. Only his shoulder plates were damaged, but otherwise the monster was untouched. 

“But for all that, he’s not here, is he?!” he laughed. “Are you sure he hasn’t gotten scared and run away?!” Nappa continued.

“Papa isn’t a coward!!!” Chai yelled.

“He’ll be here!!” Gohan-kun shouted, wriggling free from his sister’s arms. “Papa will surely be here!! He’s going to take care of you guys!”

“That reliance of yours is something else.” Vegeta replied. He was still unconcerned about the Z-fighter’s claims but he seemed curious. “Interesting. We’re going to wait until he gets here, however, only for three hours. We won't wait any longer than that.”

The larger man began shaking and sputtering. A vein that Chai could see from the ground was popping off of his shiny head. The girl wished that the prince would put him down, if he really was so powerful. _No. That’s horrible… Then again, it’ll be them or us in the end._

“That’s absurd! I’m going to play with them right now!” 

He shot down towards Krillin and Piccolo as if he had never stopped.

“Nappa! Didn’t you hear what I said?!” the prince shouted out. 

The giant man froze faster than he should have been capable of. He was moving and then not, as if time stood still. 

“S-sorry. I got carried away.” he muttered.

Even Chai bowed her head slightly at the sound. It was the first time Vegeta had spoken in a less than calm fashion. If the man claimed to be a prince, Chai believed him to be the real deal. He carried an unfettered presence that spoke volumes, so for him to shout… _No… I will not let a man hardly any taller than me make me shiver by raising his voice._ The princess straightened her spine and stood tall with her fists at her side and her tail wrapped around her waist. Normally, she let the thing trail behind her, tall as herself, and do what it wanted but instinct told her to keep it secured to her body.

Vegeta then smiled evilly at the two men. 

“That’s how it’s going to be. Your lives have been extended somewhat. Be grateful.”

Chai wasn’t sure what made her angrier: Vegeta’s nonchalance towards her father or his belief that their lives were his to decide. Were all prince’s so pretentious!? Piccolo-sama and Krillin-ojiisan also stared wide-eyed at the prince’s proposal. It did buy them time, at least. Slowly, the two men put their arms down and made their way over to the children. 

…………………………………...

“Be reasonable. This is his first actual fight, after all.” 

Krillin had been defending Gohan’s behavior to the Namekian for at least thirty minutes, but the green man wasn’t hearing it. At first, he’d dug into Chai for returning to the scene of the fight, but those actions were easier to defend. 

‘Piccolo, did you really just expect her to sit back where it’s safe? I mean she is Goku’s daughter, after all!’

Unfortunately, Krillin’s explanation not only made perfect sense, but also served to increase his disappointment in the boy.

‘Okay, yes… they are both Goku’s children… but Piccolo, c’mon!! Gohan is only five!! Chai is eleven!!!’

‘And a girl…’ the Namekian grumbled.

‘Excuse -’ the princess began.

‘Aw, that doesn’t mean anything. You met Chi-Chi?’

‘Exactly my point!! Gohan should be even braver!!’

And so, the two men argued about Gohan’s lack of experience, lack of bravery, lack of general usefulness to the fight, slowly forgetting about Chai disobeying orders entirely. Hopefully, her mother would forget just as easily though the girl somehow didn’t think so. Chi-Chi didn’t forget much.

“I’m the pathetic one for expecting anything from you,” Piccolo said pointedly to Gohan. “Get out of here you coward!”

All the boy could do was shiver in shame at his master’s words. 

“None of you could even do anything!!!” Chai shouted up at Piccolo. The man was at least three times her size but she didn’t care. “How do you expect him to fight when none of you even stand a chance!!?”

“If Gohan had taken that one shot!! That one shot that we discussed, Tenshinhan might not be dead!!” Piccolo snapped back.

She felt her brother’s ki shoot up then drop at those words. Guilt radiated from him in slowly building waves.

“Don't you dare put that on him!!!”

“Hn, you’re awfully headstrong, Son Chai. Perhaps I should have trained you instead,” Piccolo replied, looking not at her but her brother as he did so.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Krillin asked, suddenly. 

The other three followed his field of vision towards Vegeta and Nappa. The prince was sitting on a rock, looking quite comfortable. Chai sneered at his contentment. _Is everything your throne, Your Highness?_ Nappa, on the other hand, stood before him, laughing wildly at something Vegeta had said. The girl couldn’t help but to imagine him suddenly being blasted through the chest and falling to the ground. As dead as Yamucha-san, Chaozu-san, and Tenshinhan-san.

“Say, what if we just ran away? There’s no way we can win. This is no time to be stubborn!” Krillin figured, turning back towards his friends.

“Fool! They plan on wiping out all of humanity in any case.” Piccolo chastised. “Even if you run away now, you’ll end up the same.”

“D-dammit! Please, Goku, get here! Show us how much stronger than them you’ve become!” Krillin cried out. The monk then shook his head and turned up towards the Namekian. “Piccolo, Goku is sure to be here in the next three hours, right?”

“Who knows?” 

_What…?_

“Think of some way to inflict some damage on them, however little, before Son Goku gets here,” he continued. “Regardless of how much power Goku may have gained at Kaio’s place, his chances of fighting both of them and winning are next to impossible. We’ve made some tremendous enemies here.”

Chai looked back down at her hands. They were still marked up and charred from that mysterious blast she put forth earlier. Stinging emitted from where her skin was a little black, but otherwise, they didn’t hurt as much as she would have expected. 

If it was her… her and not Gohan, would that have made a difference? She looked over at her brother, who still hung his head. She knew it wasn’t just the age difference. Gohan used to get really upset at being lost or running into creatures he didn’t recognize, even if they were just squirrels. He cried easily at being hurt too. Chai, however, loved tumbling around the dirt, ruining her dresses, and getting her Papa to chase after her and gently push her to the ground in play. And how many times had she gotten lost in the forests of Mount Paozu, just to reappear a few hours later, Mama bawling about how she thought her baby was gone forever? 

The princess loved her brother and didn’t fault him for being softer than her but...

“Piccolo-sama! P-please train me for the next three hours!” Chai cried out before she even thought through her words.

“Don’t be foolish!” the Namekian turned from her. “Getting your coward brother out of here would be a better use of your time!!”

The girl opened her mouth to retort, knowing she was likely in the wrong when Gohan slowly began to walk away from them entirely. Could… could he fly? _Is he going to fly away? Ask Kinto Un?_ No… no she couldn’t let him do that!! _What about the whole year he was gone!?!? All of Mama’s tears… all of my tears… all of our worries… the sleepless nights? The meals Mama cooked but neither of us could touch… the schism that grew in our house…. for nothing?! No!!!!_

She turned to her brother, fully. “Gohan, come back! You’ve got to show Papa how big and strong you’ve grown!” Chai ordered.

The boy paused his stride and his shoulders began to shake.

_C’mon. C’mon, turn around. Cry, whatever, but turn around._

He shook his head and took several more steps away from them.

“Gohan!” Krillin called after him.

A blindingly white blast, the size of a motorcycle came towards him and Chai’s heart froze. The mountain next to Gohan blew up, the size of it crumbling to pieces and dust clouding her vision. As the debris flew away, she saw him on the ground. He shivered but he was fine. Chai ran at him and threw her arms around the boy.

“Trying to run away, are you?” Nappa laughed. “Well, that would be the smart thing to do.” 

That fired the kid up.

“Who-who’s running away!?!!” Gohan jumped out of Chai’s arms. “I’ve just got to go pee!”

Chai stifled a laugh at him but felt her chest swell with pride anyways. 

“And if you guys are going to go home, now is your chance…” he trailed off.

_Damnit, Gohan-kun. You were doing so good._

Nappa then leaned over and cupped his ear. “What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

Gohan began to shake again and Chai shook her head. Fine then, she’ll put them in their place.

“He said - “ 

“YOUR MAMA’S BELLY BUTTON STICKS OUT!!!!!” Gohan cried.

.”Your balls drop _now_!?” Chai hissed.

“H-How did you know my mama’s belly button sticks out”?!?! Nappa yelled back in bewilderment, however did not act, remembering his orders. Instead, another malicious grin crossed his features. “I’m going to go have fun,” he told his superior.

“Don’t overdo it,” Vegeta smirked then Nappa took to the skies, disappearing towards a van hidden behind a few large rocks. He was gone maybe 30 seconds before Chai felt death. Five kis that she suddenly didn’t notice anymore. And with that, the fiend flew away from them all, his enormous ki still (feel-able) no matter how far he seemed to go. 

10 more ki gone.

His ki got more faint. 

20 more. 

500 suddenly gone as well.

Chai trembled in frustration. _What a monster he is. Was nothing sacred? Papa… Papa please hurry._

Minutes quickly turned to hours as Chai noted and estimated each sudden disappearance of ki. Her eyes teared up and her blood boiled but she couldn’t not notice. How did she not feel all of this before? How densely populated the Earth was…

200.

10.

1,000…

_Papa… Papa please hurry. We need you… Where are you?_

The air stilled suddenly. The earth felt emptier as Chai’s stomach dropped.

14,000.

_What city was that? Is there… is there anything left?_

There was a tingling in her fingertips, the anger she felt slowly coursing it’s way through her body to concentrate in her hands. With an enraged yell Chai blasted the rest of the mountain that Nappa had earlier blown into, her instincts guiding her control of the ki. 

“Chai…” Krillin breathed.

“Time!” Vegeta said, simply.

Everyone looked up and stared over at the Saiya-jin Prince, who rose to his feet and tossed his scouter aside.

“Looks like waiting for him didn’t do any good,” he smiled. Nappa touched down as well. _Impeccable timing for a brute._ “That coward Kakarrot did not come.”

“Otousan is not a coward!” Gohan cried out to them.

“Papa….” Chai whimpered, allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks.

There was a boulder-sized thud as Nappa pulled off his chest plate, revealing more of his massive form. The man truly was monstrous, rivaled only by Goku in how impressive his built was. 

“Now then, to take my time in making you hurt…” he chuckled. “It’s too bad I couldn’t show this to Kakarrot, though.”

_What… what is he going to do? Is he going to beat us to a pulp? Just pound on us until we are bloody and bruised and broken?_

He came towards them, cracking his knuckles as he did so and nearly giggling, as if he was going to take apart a car or a machine rather than people.

“There’s only one possibility for us to beat him,” Piccolo whispered. “Of course, that is if everything goes well. Listen up! Krillin, you go all-out to draw his attention. And then I will find an opening to grab his tail, a Saiya-jin’s weak point.”

Chai involuntarily stiffened her own tail at her waist. That was a good thing to know. How come no one had told her this before? Surely Papa knew, right? He told her that he had a tail for most of his life, so he must have noticed the weakness. How come he never said anything?

“Once all of his power fails him, Gohan and Chai, you’ll call up all of your power and rush him. Got that?,” Piccolo finished up. 

“This is our chance to prove ourselves, Ototo-san. No running away, right?” Chai smiled at her brother, determination in her eyes.

“Yes. It’ll be okay,” Gohan agreed. His face showed considerably more fear but his eyes were like hers. Focused, driven. Things would go better this time around.

“Of course. Remember that the fate of the Earth rests in your hands!” Piccolo-sama reassured, his eyes fixated on the enemy.

The princess would have been lying if she said that excitement wasn’t stirring in her right now. She was terrified, no doubt, but her senses were aroused at the idea of battle. It would be like the stories Papa told her of his youth, taking down mercenaries and the Red Ribbon Army. Her and Gohan-kun would save the world, with the help of Krillin-ojiisan and Piccolo-sama. She’d have a story to tell her Papa. 

The energy around them changed as all four comrades were filled with more confidence at the Namekian’s words. It would be fine. They could do this. It worked on Raditz and it would work again on Nappa and Vegeta, especially when their numbers were double.

“Believe in yourselves!” the green master commanded. 

The girl could hear her little brother’s heart beating rapidly in his chest. It’s rhythm matched her own and she was sure everyone else, save for the short monk, could hear their beating chests as well. It was like a war drum.

Nappa stopped a few feet from them. Chai glanced over at Gohan-kun and pursed her lips.

_He can do this. He can. I-I can do this._

The girl stared down at her hands.

_I just have to think of everyone who died._

The sun was beginning to get hazy overhead. Chai looked around at the two bodies that lay near. Yamucha… Tenshinhan…All of the innocent lives.

“Here goes!!!” Krillin yelled, charging after the Saiya-jin. The Earthling suddenly let go a blast and launched himself in the air before Piccolo charged in as well, appearing behind Nappa in seconds and grabbing the end of the monster’s tail. 

_This is it!!!_

The siblings charged at Nappa, both determined to not fail their master, not fail the Earth.

“You fools!!” he hollered, elbowing Piccolo-sama in the head. 

Chai and Gohan stopped, suddenly, thrown off by this turn of events. Wasn’t the tail the weakness? What happened?

Piccolo doubled over in pain, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. _No… no… it’s hopeless._ The monster picked him up by the back of his shirt and held his head with the other. _Is he going to snap his neck?!_ Chai trembled, imagining his head bobbing off to one side and the absence of Piccolo-sama’s ki. _Please… please..._

“Now, can’t have you die yet,” Nappa cooed. “We still have to have you tell us about the Dragon Balls.”

The Prince then threw his head back in laughter. “Hell of a miscalculation, huh? Did you think we would leave our weak spot untrained forever?”

“The best the Earth has to offer, and this is what happens after one blow,” Nappa said, tossing Piccolo at the kids’ feet.

The two rushed to him. Gohan was now trembling as much as Chai, shaking the green man’s back and calling out to him. His eyes wouldn’t open though. He was alive but completely unconscious.

“Now that he’s gone beddy-bye I think I’ll toy around with the little squirts,” Nappa suggested. His tone was somehow more sinister now, as though killing children was one of his favorite pastimes. Perhaps it was. A chill went down Chai’s spine as her strength began to fail her.

He stepped closer. He smelled of musk and blood and soot. Hi ki was overwhelming, sending goosebumps along Chai’s flesh. Somehow she knew he was barely pulsing his aura, no more than a person’s normal breathing. 

“I think I’ll start with Kakarrot’s daughter, for making a fool of me earlier.” The fiend crouched down so that he was only a foot above her . “Too bad though… in five years, you’d be breeding age.” _Breeding age?_ She felt sick. Chai knew babies didn’t come from big benevolent birds. “And there are no more female saiya-jins,” he continued, his face now inches from hers. The man accentuated his next words. “Just you, half-breed.” 

The girl felt her blood freeze. She felt like she was being hunted, and not just by some random hungry animal but an apex predator stalking its prey for sport when it could just kill her. This was a type of fear she wasn’t used to. Being treated to like a plaything. 

“You’re the daughter of a true saiya-jin,” he continued. “So you should amuse me for a while, right?”

She.. couldn’t move. She couldn’t talk. She couldn’t think.

“LEAVE MY SISTER A-OHHHHHH!!!!!!” 

Chai could only watch with one fearful eye as her brother was shot through a nearby boulder, cracking it’s side, and collapsed to the ground face-first.

“Gohan-kun!!!” Chai cried out and reached for him but Nappa grabbed her by her tail.

The boy slowly raised up, a look in his eyes that she’d never seen before. There was a bloodlust in there. 

Chai flashed back to when her brother had been kidnapped a few years back while Papa was fishing. He’d come back to find Okaasan and Ojichan unconscious on the ground, and a crying Chai hiding in the house. Papa had that same look on his face at finding his family in such condition. He wanted blood. 

Gohan wiped his mouth, and stared over at Nappa who simply laughed joyously. The girl wriggled to get away from him but his grip was too tight. It was useless.

“That’s more like it!!”

Chai was suddenly airborne as she was thrown at neckbreak speed at her brother and Nappa followed behind, as if to force them both through the boulder at once. Out of nowhere, Krillin appeared, putting a blockade between the two. He kicked Nappa in the face and sent the man over onto his back. Gohan caught his sister and laid her gently down on the ground. They watched as Krillin continued after the Saiya-jin. 

The princess lazily looked on, raised up on her elbows but her spirits were no longer with the fight. Her heart felt like a stone weighing her to the ground. Useless. She had been useless. Their plan fell through completely. And it wasn’t like she could fight. She was just in the way. Good for no more than potential _breeding_ , according to the behemoth. 

She should have stayed at Kame House with the other females. 

Nappa had caught himself last minute and flipped back to his feet. He launched himself at Krillin and punched the man into the ground. No, he missed. Krillin flipped around the ground expertly, keeping distance between him and the giant. Like David and Goliath. The Earthling then lifted one arm in the air with his palm flat. He called upon his ki with a growl as Nappa came at him. Suddenly, electricity emitted from Krillin’s fingertips and formed themselves into a disc wider than his body. The monk smirked. Nappa froze.

“Kienzan!!” Krillin shouted then began twirling it in tune with his body before throwing the glowing discus at the Saiya-jin. It spun as it flew, and the edges took on a sharp appearance.

“What a useless technique!” Nappa bluffed.

The disc came closer. Chai could hear her heart in her chest. Closer. Everything seemed to slow. Closer.

“Nappa! Get out of the way!” Vegeta ordered.

The subordinate snapped his head to the side just in time. The kienzan buzzed by him and headed for a tall mountaintop, slicing it in half as it went through and causing a small avalanche. When Nappa turned back towards them, there was a small cut on his cheek. _If only he hadn’t moved._

“Wh-Why you! How dare you wound my face!” he growled, readying a white hot blast of his own that crackled with energy.

Krillin steadied himself. Nappa came towards him and threw it. Krillin crossed his arms before his face but it threw him back anyways, fraying his clothes and burning him along his body. Nappa readied another. Aimed, then threw his arm forward to let go the blast when he froze in a glow of yellow. Krillin hit the ground, no more injured than he was before and when the energy dissipated, there was a large burn mark on Nappa’s back that scorched the majority of the flesh.

“You bastard!” he roared at Piccolo, who knelt on the ground. The Namekian slowly stood, still panting from the energy he just used. Possibly the last of his strength.

Behind both of them, the Prince guffawed at the display. “Looks like you’re having a hard time with them, Nappa.” What kind of power did this jerk have?

“Dont you… don’t you look down on Earth, Saiya-jin!” Piccolo gasped. 

He and Nappa traded verbal blows when Piccolo finally looked up towards the East. “Wh-What ki is this?!” He then turned to the siblings. “Th-There’s an incredible ki coming this way from far off!”

Similarly, Vegeta’s smirk faltered. 

“I-It’s true!” Chai said from the ground. She got to her feet immediately. Maybe hope wasn’t lost.

“A-an amazing, yet familiar ki!” Gohan agreed. The grin on his face was priceless, belonging nowhere on this battlefield. Both his and Chai’s eyes began to tear up.

“You’re all just spouting nonsense!” Nappa accused but Piccolo glanced at the giant with a smirk.

“It could only be him. It’s Son Goku.”


	7. There's No Use Crying About It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuchi, Goten, and Trunks being cute little demi's until something catches their attention.
> 
> Goku is nearly there, but how do Chai and her brother fare during those last four minutes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm five days late on posting. I just switched jobs and all of that new job prep has taken up a lot of my attention. Still, bad writer, no cookie. I'm going to Tsuchi's perspective for the first half and Gohan's for the second. I really hope you guys enjoy. Again, rate and review =)

“Son, would you like to tell me about the new hole in the wall?” Bulma-Obasan asked the lavender-haired boy.

“You don’t know it was _me-me_ ,” he told her, digging through the overhead freezer. It was one of the few times the kids were allowed to fly inside.

“The proximity to your room suggests it was.”

“It’s equally close to his room.”

“Older you has never left a hole in one of my walls. That is something only _you-you_ and your dad are guilty of.”

“Ummm… identity crisis? Debating with myself? Not sure how to call it.” 

He tossed an ice pack down to Goten-kun while Tsuchi slumped at the kitchen table.

“Hmmm. This isn’t too weird for you, is it?” the bluenette considered.

The boy closed the freezer then floated to the ground before his mom. “I’m getting used to it. It is a little like having a brother,” he shrugged. Seemingly satisfied, Bulma simply nodded and headed in the direction of her lab. 

“For the record, it was both of us!” he shouted after her.

Earlier that day, Trunks-kun told the twins that he had gone to rudely rouse his future self out of bed with a charged strike which the time traveler smacked away before opening his eyes. It was the reason for the new hole in the wall that separated their rooms. 

_'What the hell?' Chibi Trunks asked, coming back through the hole, rubbing his side._

_'I should ask you that…' the older demi replied, sitting up. 'I would think having dad around would have made you better at something so basic as hiding your ki.'_

_'Well you didn't have to throw me through the wall!!'_

_Mirai stood up, crossing his arms over his chest and shook his head. Beforehand, however, Chibi noticed just how many scars his older counterpart had. Nearly as many as his… their… dad._

_'You deserved it for being so intrusive. And I know it didn't hurt.'_

_The younger crossed his arms over his chest as well, turning away. 'Not much...'_

_Mirai pulled a black long-sleeved shirt on then walked past Chibi._

_'Entire buildings are a lot worse, mini-me.'_

They honestly could have been brothers the way they got along. And the two did seem to get along, when her friend wasn’t actively trying to get under the time traveler’s skin, but it was a strange show of affection. At the same time, however, they also tried to stay out of each other's way. If one seemed upset about something - and both were moody in their own ways - the other stayed away. _Know thyself, I suppose._ If it was her, Tsuchi wasn't sure she'd be able to leave her future self alone. She'd have so many questions, except now the princess couldn’t fathom what she would ask a future version of herself. She was in too much pain.

Chai's decision to have the boys go all out on the girl was a brutal request and the demi felt it throughout her body. Her legs, arms, abdomen, and especially her chest ached. She was already aching with puberty and the developments that brought on, but taking a few hits there just made it worse. 

"Ugh," she groaned, graciously taking the ice pack that Goten-kun handed her and applying it under her shirt. They sat in the kitchen, having gone inside shortly after Chai left. 

"That ended up being no fun," her brother pointed out. His tail gently patted the girl on the head before he joined the search for senzu beans.

"Yeah, no kidding. I didn't think I'd ever hate sparring," the other boy added. 

Tsuchi nodded her agreement, shifting the pack to the other side. The cold of it was nearly as uncomfortable as the soreness she felt. She leaned over the kitchen table, her face buried in the crook of her arm as the boys shuffled around, looking for senzu hidden anywhere. 

"Trunks-kun, are you sure they're in the kitchen? Seems like a weird place to put medicine," Goten asked. 

"Right? But that's what my mom- Score!" 

Tsuchi groaned as a hand shook her shoulder slightly. 

"No. Just let me perish. Cook me and eat me so I don't go to waste." Even her tail hung lifeless off of the chair.

"You're adorable, and disturbing," Trunks told her, shoving the senzu in her hand. 

"And probably don't taste good," Goten added.

He was now rummaging through the fridge for a sandwich, Tsuchi observed, popping the bean into her mouth. She scrunched her nose but swallowed the bitter bits. The effects were instantaneous. She felt normal again, her tail swaying behind her as the girl hopped down from the stool she sat at to rummage in the fridge with the boys. 

One of the things that made Capsule Corps different from home was the endless supply of food. At home, Mama did provide lots of food at mealtimes but the Sons had to wait until then to have any. The kitchen at Capsule Corps, however, had two fridges! One for food that was yet to be cooked, and one for the various leftovers, pre-made sandwiches, fruits, veggies and other goodies that Panchy-obaasan stocked it with. 

_Thank Kami everything is labelled_ , the girl thought, turning over one bagged sandwich, then another in search of a pb&j with grape. _A peach would be lovely too, then maybe some bananas and if there's any hard boiled eggs left. And white cheddar. Mama can't usually afford something so luxurious... Oh my gods, is that salmon and cheese dip?_

"Yoink!!!" Tsuchi exclaimed, grabbing the creamy concoction, along with some fruits and cheeses. She took off to the table. 

"I was saving that!" Trunks cried after her, tossing a few things on the table as he followed. This dip was evidently very important. 

Tsuchi laid down the fruit and cheese but kept the dip to her chest as she went to the pantry for some crackers. 

"Mmmm, I don't know…" she said, going to the table again. Goten was there already with a mountain of meat and cheese sandwiches that spanned the animal kingdom. 

"Tsu-chan, you don't know what I went through for that. I had to beg my Papa not to kill it off and then he still made me do 200 laps, 200 push ups, and 200 sit ups at 300 gravity!!! And spar with him!! For 200 minutes!!!" 

"I wis’ my Pap’ would s’are wit’ me mo’e," Goten said between bites, "But he' alwa’s hangin’ out with t’at Be’rus guy and ‘orking on the rad’sh fa’m."

“Chew your food, Ten-kun,” Tsu-chan scolded.

“Please, Tsuchi. I really wanted that dip!! Obaasan never makes it! I’ll give you five of my toys!”

“Nuh-uh,” the girl shook her head, slowly opening the container and bringing it to her nose. “Mmmmmm. Smells delicious.” 

“Any six!! Any. Of. Them.”

The girl, however, proceeded to stir a cracker around in the creamy mixture, singing to herself. It was a song she’d had stuck in her head for a while and hadn’t had a chance to get it out yet. Okasan was so picky about what they listened to.

“Anything you want.”

"He...mmmff… means it, y'know!! He gave me…. "ChronoTrigger" ...after the world tournament!!" Goten said between bites. 

"It was one of my favorites too," the other boy muttered. 

She brought a cracker to her lips, the pink bits of salmon gleaming under the kitchen lights. She began singing as though she were serenading the food she was about to eat. _“And there's an old man sitting on the throne that's saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut.”_

“Nuh uh!! O’e-chan ‘its on da t’rone…” Goten said through a mouthful of food.

Tsuchi took a bite and allowed her eyes to roll back a little as the whipping of her tail picked up with zeal. “Mmmmm. Soooo good. And it’s only a song, Goten-kun. And chew your food.”

“And she isn’t an old man,” her brother replied, finishing his bite. 

The lavender-haired boy smirked. He knew exactly who sang that song. “I’ll get you every song Halsey has ever made. Even undergrounds and featured songs.”

The princess smiled coyly. “Don’t trifle with me, Trunks-kun.”

“I’m serious. You know I can get my hands on anything I want and I have an extra mp3 player sitting around. I can add onto it whenever you want more."

The girl regarded him. Was it worth it? Was it worth this delicacy? Then again, it wasn’t like she’d get access to this music any other way...

"It'll be easy to hide from your mom. I know you can't have that kind of music. ” He then raised an eyebrow. “What do you say Tsuch’?”

She blinked down at the food, then looked back up at him. “We share.”

The boy then narrowed his eyes at the dip then looked back up with a confident smile. “Deal.” 

The three sat around the table, the only noises being the crunching and chewing of food. Tsuchi quickly realized the reason that the little prince so readily agreed was because he was taking bigger scoops than her. No matter - it was big enough for both of them. Occasionally a chair would scootch across the floor and the fridge would open as more food was scavenged. 

Tsuchi pushed the last of the salmon dip towards her friend and slowly got back into the fridge. Maybe there was a nectarine? Onee-chan loved nectarines. 

"Do you think Chai's okay?" Goten asked suddenly. 

"I'm sure she is," the princess smiled, hopping back between the two boys. Her tail, however, was beginning to snake itself down her leg. 

"Yeah.. I mean, big me didn't go with her. If he thinks she's fine then she's probably fine. " 

Emerging from the hallway was the sound of arguing. Three voices: one that was too high pitched for its host, a girl's voice, and a third that was male but a little gruff. _Great… the bootlickers._

"Sir, I really don't want to…"

"Well no one cares what you want, Mai!! Now then, we'll just wait until everyone is asleep then -"

The girl immediately put her hands over Pilaf's mouth as the three entered the kitchen. She forced a wide grin onto her face, as did the ninjin, slowly followed by the blue kid. 

"Hey guys!! Whatcha doing?" Goten greeted. 

"Nothing!!" the brunette chirped, hand still over Pilaf's mouth. "Just.. uh…" 

"Hi Mai…" Trunks-kun said, flushing. 

"Hey," the brunette casually answered. 

"Planning!!" Pilaf shouted.

Tsuchi side-glanced the trio. "Planning what?"

"Ummmm…"

"Trunks…" The girl whispered. 

He startled a look over at Tsuchi. "Huh?"

The girl couldn't help but laugh. If she liked Mai more, this would actually be endearing. "Stop being lovesick for five minutes-"

"I'm not-!" The boy snapped, turning fully to challenge her. 

Like Vegeta, the little prince knew how to threaten with his eyes alone. He used it as a warning, usually. _Keep going and I might come at you._ It was a habit her friend developed after getting in trouble one-too-many times for his temper, especially recently. He focused that gaze on Tsuchi, ice burrowing into earth, when his eyes softened after just a moment. He cut himself off. All annoyance left his gaze, but he didn't break eye contact from the female demi.

"They're planning something in your own house and won't say what!" The girl hissed, not noticing his demeanor.

"That is a little weird, huh?" Goten offered. “Hey, what’s up?”

The older boy simply continued to stare at the princess, a plethora of emotions crossing his face too quickly for Tsuchi to identify, though she did recognize one as confusion. Another resembled pain. Was that joy?

"Trunks," she shook his arm. 

He blinked down at the gesture then looked back at her. The boy still stared but with less intensity, as though he was coming out of a trance. He slowly turned from her, the troubled look clear on his features. 

"We want to look for the dragonballs," Mai said.

"What?!" The saiya-jins exclaimed. 

"Mai!!! Why on earth would you-!!!" Pilaf began. 

"Because maybe they'll help us!!" She then turned to the other trio and batted her lashes. "You'll help us, right, Trunks-kun?" 

"Ummm…."

He still would glance over at the princess. He'd give her a lost stare, blink a few times then look away. Why was he being so silent? It was completely unlike the little prince. Goten used his tail to lightly tap on the side of their friend’s head. Tsuchi expected Trunks to react but he simply told Goten to knock it off. He even said it softly. _What on earth is wrong with him?_

There was a rapid ki spike in the distance, and higher than Tsuchi had felt in years. The sensation ran shivers up the girl's spine. Her tail rewrapped itself around her waist as she hopped down from the table.

"Did you guys feel that?" Future Trunks said quickly, coming in from the side. He had the beginning of a few bruises on his arms, and there was a scratch on his cheek. He'd just been sparring with Vegeta-san, the girl realized. 

Mai let out a squeal and Tsuchi rolled her eyes. How quickly the mysterious brunette had gone from ignoring her friend to suddenly fawning over him, to ignoring him again in favor of his future self really irked Tsuchi. The two weren’t so different to justify her fickle behavior, and it wasn’t like they looked different. 

"Feel what?" Pilaf asked.

"Ki…" Shu answered. 

"Onee-chan…" Goten whispered, appearing next to his twin. His tail was similarly wrapped around his waist. 

The time traveler disappeared into the hallway as Vegeta came in from the same side door, untouched. The older man leaned against it, an unreadable look on his face. Tsuchi would never say she was afraid of Ojii-san. Not at all, in fact, but she did find his poker face less than comforting. The Prince of All Saiyans was known for being unpredictable. The blue-haired Trunks reappeared from the hall, tightening the strap to his sword. 

"You're going after her," Vegeta-san stated. 

"Of course, Otousan." 

"We're going too!!" Goten-kun shouted. 

"Chai-san needs us!!" Tsuchi joined in. 

"No," the time-traveler said. "You three stay here." He then made eye contact with his younger counterpart. "Seriously."

"But…" the lavender-haired boy began. 

"Trunks, don't argue," Vegeta firmly commanded. 

The boy glanced at his father but kept his mouth shut. The Saiya-jin Prince then glanced back over at his future son. 

"We may as well wait for Kakarrot."

The younger man looked stunned at the suggestion then shook his head. "I'm going ahead."

The three waited about ten minutes after the men left then took off in the same direction. Just as before, Chibi Trunks was being uncharacteristically quiet while the twins discussed the scattered ki that they sensed. South of the castle, there was a large abundance of very weak ki and a larger concentration of ki that could have belonged to soldiers. Also, none of their family members were around to get the little hybrids in trouble, and so they flew there.

The southern edge of the Ox Kingdom was straddled by a wide waterway known as Mad River. It was known to flow so fast and roughly that nothing short of the largest tuna could survive travelling through it. Most land creatures, even bears, tigers and humans tried to avoid it for fear of drowning or being dashed against the rocks. It provided a rather secure southern border, separating the edge of the Ox Kingdom from the Rooster Kingdom. Funnily enough, those two kingdoms didn't need to be separated so intensely, having been in good relations for centuries. 

It was against this devastating river that several of the kingdom’s people were being forced by soldiers Tsuchi didn’t recognize. Which meant they weren’t hers. The princess tightened her tail and let off a ki blast which hit one soldier through the chest. He fell over before the small family that he previously aimed his sword at, the hole in his back smoking. 

This drew the attention of everyone at the river, soldiers and civilians alike. The trio landed, taking in the scene around them. It was mostly women, children, elderly, disabled, and some men that were either being pushed towards the river, taken prisoner, or trying to fight back against the armed soldiers. 

“Princess Tsuchi!!” 

“You guys are in so much trouble now!!” 

“Puh.. this little thing?” someone said behind them. A more decorated soldier stepped forward. She walked with more confidence than the rest, her beige hair pulled into a tight bun, and had a crest with a delicately engraved rat pinning her short red cape together. All signs of being an officer. “She is hardly out of elementary. Still, a princess would make a wonderful hostage,” the woman chuckled.

17 Years Earlier

Sissy was back on her feet, and Daddy was on the way. Even better, Piccolo-san wasn’t dead after all and Krillin was still alive. The best was the look on Vegeta’s face when he put the scouter back on. He’d hit a few buttons on the side and after it beeped, his eyes got wide and his mouth fell open without anything to say.

Otousan must have gotten really strong, even by Saiya-jin standards. 

“You see that look on his face?” Chai-chan asked him.

“Yeah,” Gohan laughed. He was still wide-eyed with glee that they could finally feel their father on the way, but a little smugness was okay too, right? After all, they’d killed so many people.

“Vegeta-sama. Is what these guys are saying true? Is Kakarrot heading this way?” Nappa laughed. 

“I don’t know whether it’s Kakarrot or not, but someone will be here in about four minutes,” Vegeta replied. “Someone with a battle power of five thousand.”

“Five-five thousand!? That’s impossible!!” Nappa cried.

Gohan grinned at his sister. _Impossible, yeah, that’s our dad._

“Th-That can’t be! It must be some kind of mistake!”

“It’s unusual to see this guy panicked,” Piccolo-san laughed. 

“Nappa! Kill them! If all five of them team up, it could be a problem for us! It will also serve as a warning to Kakarrot!” Vegeta ordered.

“Wh-what!” Gohan stuttered out. 

He glanced over at his sister who stood firm but her tail was whipping wildly behind her. She wasn’t calm at all. 

_Chai can’t fight. I gotta protect her. I gotta protect Chai!_

“But what about the Dragon Balls?” Nappa asked.

_Oh, no, the Dragon Balls...._

“I don’t care! I have an idea!” Vegeta told him. “If we go to Planet Namek, I’m sure the Dragon Balls there will be even more powerful. I thought they were just worthless stories, but if Kakarrot really has come back to life, Then those legends are true after all.”

Nappa snickered. “I get you. But Kakarrot being five thousand has to be a mechanical malfunction. Well it doesn’t change the fact that I get to kill them all.” The monster then looked Piccolo in the face. “I’ll start with you!”

“P-Piccolo-san, run!” Gohan yelled over. “I’ll stop him one way or another until Father gets here!”

“What?!”

“After all if you die, Piccolo-san, then Kami-sama dies too, and the Dragon Balls will disappear.”

“You’re talking nonsense! There’s no way you can stop him by yourself!” Piccolo replied.

“He won't be by himself!” Chai argued. “We’ll both stop him!!”

Gohan felt warmth at that but -

“Stop me, you say? Me?” Nappa said slowly as he turned his head at the siblings. “Don’t make me laugh, you brat!” 

Nappa began to charge at the two. Gohan felt fear enter him again, making his body shake and his nerves freeze. He glanced over at his sister. She was tall, firm. He glanced at Nappa again who was headed straight for her. 

_No. Protect Chai._

Gohan let out a battle cry and pushed from his feet until he was midair. The boy appeared before Nappa quickly and delivered a roundhouse kick to his cheek. The trajectory flipped the giant onto his back as he flew past Piccolo and Vegeta, landing into a boulder. He disappeared inside up to his waist and the whole thing fell to pieces with him inside. Hopefully, he’ll stay there.

Gohan landed back on his feet and breathed heavily. That felt good, admittingly. 

“Otouto-san,” Chai whispered. When Gohan looked over, she nodded her approval. 

There was the sound of rocks moving as Nappa flew out from the wreckage and landed before them again. He was covered in bruises and scratches now. Some bled. That was strangely satisfying. Gohan wasn’t sure he was very comfortable with how satisfying he found the blood dripping from Nappa’s head and mouth. _Isn’t that something only villains feel? I’m not a villain. I’m a kid._

“Why, you brat! This is where it ends!” Nappa shouted. 

The ground began to shake around him as little rocks and debris rose in a dance around his body. From his hand, a bright light glowed that reminded Gohan of Ten’s last attack. Last attack. There it was. That guilt again. The anger drained out of Gohan’s body and was replaced instead with shame. _‘If you’d taken that last shot!’_

“Die!!!” Nappa cried, and threw the blast.

It was blinding. So blinding.

“Gohan!!! Gohan move!!!!” the girl cried next to him.

_I-I can’t. I can’t. What if…_

Gohan felt Chai grab his arm and when she tugged, he didn’t budge. Instead, he threw her over nearer Krillin. He couldn’t let her get caught too. He couldn’t let…

“No!!!!” Piccolo-san appeared in front of the boy, arms outstretched. The blast hit. 

White.

Blinding white.

Piccolo’s screams.

The pounding of Gohan’s blood in his veins. 

A rapidly disappearing ki.

The sound of Piccolo’s screams.

Bits of cloth whipping around so fast to cut.

The sound of the boulder atomizing behind him.

And Piccolo’s screams.

Suddenly, the white was gone and Gohan could see again. There was no longer a boulder behind him. Evidently Namekians bleed purple. Piccolo-san gasped and collapsed forward. Gohan slowly walked up behind him, words failing him. 

_P-Piccolo…_

Gohan dropped to his knees just short of his master’s body and crawled next to his shoulder. 

“Piccolo-san! Wh-why did you… save me?” 

_Why didn’t I move?_

“I-I told you to get out of here… Hurry, or else… both of you,” the Namekian managed.

“D-Don’t die! Father will be here soon to beat him for us!” the boy began sniffling. “Please don’t die!”

Piccolo’s ki was failing however. His energy rapidly was disappearing from around Gohan and the boy tried hard to memorize what it felt like. His master may have been harsh in actions but there was something about his ki that made Gohan trust him all those months ago. He didn’t feel malevolent. It was cold and whipped around violently, like a winter wind, but if you just stood calmly in it, it wasn’t so bad. In the end, Piccolo-san wasn’t so bad.

“Imagine, Piccolo Daimao, of all people, protecting some kid… Nothing could be worse,” his master smirked.

“O-ojii-san!!”

Piccolo then smiled warmly at the kid. “Gohan… you’re the only one who ever spoke decently to me…” 

Were those tears? Light green tears.

_Did you think I didn’t notice? Early in our training, you’d come at me mercilessly, leaving me with knots in my head and bruises on my face but I saw. I saw your eyes widen at the sight of me newly injured. The quick grins just before I’d attack back. I knew you cared, but not this much. This is… this is too much._

“Th-This last year that I spent with you wasn’t bad…” Piccolo whispered. 

“Ojii-san.”

“D-don’t you die, Go-goha…”

His face fell to the side. Silent.

_Too much. Too much._

“Ojii-san!!!!!” Gohan screamed to the heavens. When he couldn’t scream anymore, when he was sure Kami-sama must have heard him before he died too, he gasped. The gasps quickly teared to the shuddering of tears. The boy’s face fell forward, crying into the dead Namekian’s chest.

_No. This.. this isn’t possible._

_Why didn’t I just move?_

_I could have moved._

He could recall the sensation of Onee-chan grabbing him. 

_I could have just moved._

He tossed her aside. Couldn’t let her get hit. 

_I could have moved before then._

Then Piccolo got in the way.

_No one had to grab me._

_No one had to get in the way._

_Why didn’t I just move!?!?!?_

Anger began to flood the demi’s veins. Anger was easier. Anger could get revenge. He shot to his feet with a roar and stared down at the Saiya-jins. There that beeping was again from the scouter. Vegeta’s startled face once more. 

_Good._

“You want to fight?!” Nappa asked in excitement.

_Why yes._

Gohan stacked both hands above his head and pulled his energy upwards. 

“Masenko!!”

The energy drew from all places in his body. Mostly his stomach. Mostly anger. It crackled yellow like electricity. Piccolo taught him this one. It was a favorite. 

The beeping kept going in the background and Vegeta muttered to himself. Something about 2,800. 

Gohan then pushed his hands forward and let go of the blast with all of the force he could muster. It came at Nappa like a shooting star. Hopefully it would hit him like one. The giant instead smacked the blast into a nearby mountaintop, blowing it to pieces.

_No._

_No._

Gohan stared at the monster, his hands still in position from his attack. _That-that was the best I had._ It demolished the mountain but Nappa swatted it like a horsefly. He was rubbing his wrist even but so what?

“For a kid, you can do some amazing things, huh? My arm tingles a little,” he laughed.

Damn. Maybe this is the end. For some reason, that thought wasn’t horrible. Gohan was just so drained, and Otou-san wasn’t here yet. 

“Piccolo-san, I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to avenge you,” he panted.

He glanced over to Krillin who was still down, and Chai was well but that couldn’t possibly last long. That attack took everything. It was his last stand. Gohan knew he couldn’t possibly protect anyone at this rate.

“Onee-san,” Gohan called over. 

The girl startled a look at her brother. 

“Otou-san should be here soon, right?” 

“R-right.”

Nappa was coming. Huh. He just kept coming.

“Gohan!!! Gohan, run!!! You too, Chai!!! Run!!!!” Krillin shouted from his position. His voice was strained. He couldn’t move and it seemed this was going to take the last of his strength.

“I-I don’t have the strength to move,” Gohan chuckled.

“Gohan!!” The girl screamed and got to her feet.

“Chai, no!!” Gohan commanded, he collapsed to his knees, panting. He then raised his head again to see her standing but not moving forward.

“If something happens… remember, you’re the last female saiya-jin… maybe… maybe they’ll take mercy on you…”

“Gohan… Gohan-kun… what are you saying?” 

“You’re a girl, but maybe… maybe that’s a good thing… It-it makes you valuable...”

“You cannot possibly…”

“You’ll stay alive, and maybe - “

“No one’s staying alive!!!” Nappa cackled. He was in front of the boy, his leg raised above him. “I can’t wait to see the look on Kakarrot’s face… when he sees his own cubs smashed to a pulp!!!!”

The intensity of Nappa’s ki this close was enough to force Gohan into the dirt. The man didn’t even have to touch him. He was simply that powerful and the demi was that spent. The boy closed his eyes sharply. Honestly, he wanted it to be quick. Like his life had been. Those five years were nice. Maybe Otherworld has scholars. 

The pain never came. Maybe it was quick. He was floating after all. Spirits float. 

Gohan opened his eyes to get his first glance of Otherworld and was quite stunned to see Kinto Un carrying him. 

An orange gi and messy black hair dropped down from the sky and stood tall. 

“Father!!!” the siblings cried.

Nappa also took notice and Vegeta shot forward for a closer look. Papa did feel more powerful, especially this close. And there was an angered calm about him. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were downturned. Father had never looked so stern before. 

_We’re safe._

“So you’ve finally shown up, huh?” Vegeta asked. “What did you come all this way for, Kakarrot? Don’t tell me you’re here to tell us some nonsensical joke, such as you’ve come to defeat us, or something.”

Otousan didn’t even look at either of the saiya-jins. He kept his face forward and walked between them as if they weren’t there then paused before Piccolo-san. He leaned over and felt the green man’s pulse but Gohan knew what he would find. 

“Piccolo-san died to protect me,” the boy whimpered.

Slowly, Papa rose and looked in the direction of Tenshinhan’s body. He gritted his teeth and curled his lips. Gohan was sure he’d never seen his father look like this. The demi glanced over to his sister but she didn’t seem phased by their father’s expression. Vaguely, the boy remembered being taken when he was about three years old, a year before Raditz also kidnapped him. Maybe Otou-san had a similar expression then. 

The man’s head turned the other direction to look at Yamucha’s body in it’s own crater. 

“Shocked over your dead idiot friends are you? Come to think of it, there was another, puny little guy, that went to pieces,” Nappa boasted.

This caught father’s attention. He turned to look at Nappa for the first time.

“He had more power than you’d expect for such a runt. Naturally, he was no match for Nappa-sama,” the man continued.

Otousan began shaking in anger. No, Gohan had never seen such a reaction. He didn’t even know his father was capable of getting mad.

“Don’t worry. You’ll join your friends soon. After going through all the trouble to come back to life, you just had to stroll on by, huh?” 

Slowly, Otousan walked over to Nappa, who simply laughed and rose his fist. He must have thought this was going to be another easy fight, and why wouldn’t he think that? He was still twice Goku’s size in both height and width. One of the giant’s legs was the size of the other man’s whole body, who was six feet tall. What he didn’t know was that Papa’s ki was rising. The saiya-jins may have trained their tails, but they never learned to sense ki. 

“W-what, you want to die already?” Nappa stuttered.

Goku said nothing. He just kept on.

“Here’s something by way of greeting!” 

The man threw his fist in the direction of Goku’s face but instead of getting hit, he’d disappeared. Not even Gohan could see quite where his father went until he was beside him.

“Gohan, come here,” he said calmly. The boy was more than happy to follow him over to where Krillin-san and Chai-chan were.

“Krillin,” the man greeted before crouching down. The monk turned his face upwards, regarding the warrior. “Goku.” 

The larger man then turned to his daughter. “Chai-chan. Did you fight too?” 

“P-papa!” the girl tearfully cried but she didn’t move. “No,” she shook her head. “I-I was curious… and useless.”

“You were brave to come though.” Goku then turned to speak to all three. “Sorry I’m late. Way to hang on, you three.” He then offered something to Krillin. “You and Gohan each eat half of this.”

“Isn’t that a senzu bean? K-karin-sama still has them, huh?” Krillin replied.

“Mmmhmmm. This is the last one.”

“Then you eat it.”

“That’s alright. I had one before I came here.”

“N-no, you save it in case you need it. Even if we recover, we wont be much help to you.”

“Don’t worry needlessly. If you don't eat it, I’m throwing it away.” He then decisively broke it in half and gave Krillin one of them. 

The monk chewed graciously as Gohan took his first senzu ever. He couldn’t believe how amazing he felt and even giggled as he jumped down from the golden cloud. With Otousan here, he knew they’d win, but if he and Krillin could help, they had this in the bag!

“Krillin, you’ve gotten a lot stronger, huh? I can tell by your ki,” Goku pointed out.

The smaller man looked away, towards their opponents. “I thought I had but to no avail. I’m no use against them. They’re too strong.” His face then pointed downwards. “I-I just stood by and let everyone else die…”

Goku then looked up at this son. “Gohan, I hardly recognized you, too. You sure trained hard.”

“Mmhmm,” the boy nodded. “Piccolo-san trained me, but I wasn’t able to do anything., With Piccolo-san dead, we’ll never be able to use the Dragon Balls again. No one is coming back to life.” Gohan then began quivering as realization hit him. These deaths would be permanent.

“Let’s avenge them--the four of us!” Krillin postured. “With you joining us, Goku, we might be able to deal with one of them!”

“Yeah, but I’m going to fight them by myself. You guys stay back and watch, so you don’t get caught in the middle of it.”

_Wh-what!!?!?! Daddy did you hit your head?_

“By yourself?! No matter how strong you are, Goku, that’s crazy!! Their strength is far greater than we can even imagine!” Krillin cried.

Otou-san then looked over at the saiya-jins and let out a growl. His power then surged and engulfed them all. It felt like electricity dancing along Gohan’s skin. Even Krillin shook at the sudden increase. He then turned and walked over to the invaders. He looked like a sheriff in a Western about to deliver justice.

“Father!!” Gohan started, but Krillin grabbed him before he could budge. 

“No. Let Goku handle this. I’ve never seen him show this much anger. W-we’ve got no place getting in his way.”

He stopped a foot away from Nappa, who was smiling ear-to-ear. He clearly had no idea what he was about to get into.

“Chai-chan. I’m sorry but maybe you should clear outta here,” Krillin added.

“But!”

“No. If Gohan and I have no business helping your dad fight, then you have no business being near the fight. If we get caught in the cross-fires, we might be fine. You though… I don’t wanna deliver bad news to Chi-Chi twice.”

“I’ve already run once…”

“You don’t know how to fight Chai. It’s not running. It’s staying safe.”

Ahead of them, Goku got into a wide-legged stance and began to power up. It was more intense than anyone so far had managed, the air vibrating enough to raise the dirt around him and the saiya-jins. Neither of which seemed to have anything snide to say. The ground shook hard enough for the three onlookers to find themselves backing against a nearby rock for support.

“Go!!” Krillin shouted at the girl.

To Gohan’s delight, she hopped onto Kinto Un and the two took to the air and disappeared into the clouds. He could tell she wasn’t happy about it but that didn’t matter right now. Sissy could be just like mother but she’d get over it.

The earth was shaking even harder. Papa just kept on.

“Otou-san, you’re incredible!” Gohan called over.

He stopped suddenly. 

“What’s his battle power?” Nappa called behind him.

Vegeta snatched the scouter from his brow and smashed it in his hand. 

“It’s over 9,000!!!”


	8. Trying Just to Find Your Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuchi, Trunks and Goten face the Rat Army
> 
> Chai watches from afar as her Papa fights Vegeta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from "Far Away" by 12 Stones.
> 
> This chapter is a bit less introspective and a bit more action filled, including unique ways in which I explored delivering said action.
> 
> I really hope you guys like this one. I took a few risks just to try something different.
> 
> Rate and review, s'il vous plait.

The Ox Princess scoffed. Did this earthling officer, probably no higher than a captain, threaten her? Did the other kingdoms truly not know that the ruling Ox Family was half-breed extraterrestrials? Did they not know the reason the Ox Kingdom and Chai, herself, maintained sovereignty for so long? Sure, bloodline put her on the throne, but it was her sister’s own spirit ablaze that kept her there. Chai could not be tempered nor contained - unfortunately for Captain Cavalier here, that was something both sisters had in common.

_‘A princess would make a wonderful hostage.’ Pah! Rubbish!!_

“As would an officer,” Tsuchi replied, turning to the taller woman.

“As if,” the woman said then stopped several feet away. “Any one of you that would like to gather her for me?” 

Another soldier stepped forward. This one relatively young looking. Younger than either of her older siblings. The demi hesitated for just a moment as he walked towards her, mace in hand, then she shot through him just as easily as his comrade.

The officer now sighed. “But of course.” She gestured with both hands, starting them with one below and the other towards the side of her face then drew the higher one down into a curved spiral while the other ran upward in a reverse checkmark, ending with both together in a “v”.

The trio suddenly started forward, feeling the weight of their gi’s.

“Futago-chan,” Goten called over. “I feel weaker.”

“Me too…” Trunks-kun agreed.

“That’s quite a trick you have,” the princess spat at the officer. 

The girl began to remove the weighted wristbands from her arms, as well as the belt, hoping her over shirt would stay tucked. _Should I try to remove the undershirt?_

“Ki removal. Many in the Rat Kingdom know the technique. Evens out the fight, don't you agree?”

“You don’t seem to fight fair, picking on toddlers and grannies!” the twin boy cried.

“Why don't you pick on someone your own size?” the other boy challenged.

The boys similarly unweighted themselves, including shoes and boots. Tsuchi followed suit, doing away with the shirt as well. She blushed at how much she revealed, showing off her green sports bra for just a few moments then quickly pulling the top of her gi back on. Losing the extra thirty pounds would be worth it. 

“Oh? Are you two going to help the princess on her little crusade?” the officer cooed.

“Duh,” Trunks replied as the three backed against each other in a triangle.

The officer then looked around at her underlings. “Any ten of you should do.”

As ordered, ten soldiers stepped forward in a semi-circle, hosting a variety of weapons.

“And drop your weapons. I would prefer a little show,” she continued.

Again, her subordinates followed orders without question, thinking nothing of tossing aside blades and guns. 

A soldier came at Tsuchi, his kick high in the air. She hooked her arm around his thigh and tossed him away into soldiers too cowardly to fight. Simultaneously, Trunks leapt and kicked another in the face. There was a slight cracking sound as bones broke and that soldier flew backwards. Goten blocked one that came at his side then pivoted swiftly to punch another in the side of the head. 

Another traded blocks and blows with Tsuchi until she caught the female with a chop at the side of the neck, turning towards another for a similar exchange. Her twin, to her right, dislocated a soldier at the shoulder, but when he wouldn’t go down, a hit to the face put him down. One soldier got back up with a fist, and Trunks broke his arm when the soldier charged. 

Tsuchi elbowed one in the center of the back, hearing the solar plexus snap on the other side of his chest, then rolled away from a soldier that tried to kick her from behind, her friend grabbing that soldier’s leg and driving an elbow into his knee. Goten high kicked another soldier under her chin. 

The three pushed back together, breathing just a little heavier. All of the opposing soldiers were down, some still conscious - or alive - enough to whimper in pain. To her dismay, she could feel the effort in her muscles, but saiya-jin physiology must have been working in their favor. Naturally, they were still a good deal stronger and faster. 

“Amused?” Tsuchi snapped.

“1 million zeni to the soldier that captures the princess and her little comrades!!!” 

The demi-saiya-jins were suddenly surrounded by sixty more soldiers. 

“Bet I can take down more than either of you,” Trunks-kun grinned.

“Care to load up that mp3 player?” the girl asked.

“Wanna give me another game?” Goten-kun replied, tail swishing momentarily.

“You’re on!”

One soldier came at the Ox Princess. Five hits to the chest, and two to the face for good measure. She moved out of the way as another lept at her. Trunks punched one in the side and threw him forward then grabbed the extended arm of another to leverage his foot into the back of her knee. Goten palmstruck a soldier to the ground then delivered a series of punches to his chest and face. When the demi rose another came at him with a punch which he caught and punched that soldier in the face, knocking her back. 

Tsuchi pulled one so that his arms were twisted behind his back before she kicked him forward by the hip. She thought she heard a vertebrae give but forgot as she ducked out of the way of another soldier before knowingly breaking his neck. Briefly, the princess wondered how well she would sleep tonight. 

A female soldier about her age came at the demi, foot high and aimed at her head. Tsuchi flipped her onto her stomach hard. Trunks kicked one soldier in the back, sending them at another three, then turned and elbowed one that tried to lift from the ground, pushing them back into the earth. Again, bones broke. Goten similarly elbowed another in the back of the neck, then spun to punch a second soldier between her shoulder blades. 

In a few more minutes, those soldiers were down as well. When the trio regrouped, they noticed that not only did the bodies pile up, but the commanding officer had fled.

_Snivelling coward._

“You guys feel normal again?” Trunks-kun asked.

“Yeah,” Goten-kun replied while Tsuchi nodded. 

She was far more focused on the people here and what to do about these bodies. How was Chai-san doing? Surely she was having better luck, right? 

“Are you alright?” she asked the civilians..

“Yeah! You saved us!”

“You’re our hero, Your Highness!!”

“Let’s give it up for Our Princess!!!”

There was cheering and hooting and hollering, though no one came close enough to get near the bodies that surrounded the demi children. In the distance, Tsuchi could also feel that the fighting nearer the castle had also ceased. More people arrived, some civilians but most being soldiers. They stepped around the fallen to get to their loved ones and then the cries of victory became a mixed chorus of victory and sadness as reports of death on the side of the Ox Kingdom came in from the survivors. One lost her husband, leaving her with three children. Another lost his younger brother. One couple lost their only child - a brave daughter that fought. More similar stories were reported. The princess couldn’t help but feel for the losses. She didn’t rule yet and hadn’t known many of these people long but pain and death were never things to ignore.

Chai’s ki erupted again.

It felt as though she had gone Super, the air vibrating just slightly around them. Tsuchi had learned long ago that even from this distance, the saiya-jins were more sensitive to energy fluctuations than normal humans. The people here would not have even noticed a disturbance around them, or the distress of their monarch. 

The female demi levitated in the air, finding purchase above the trees. She looked down at the boys who were following below her until they were all together again.

“We’re getting in trouble, aren’t we?” Goten-kun whined before the three of them flew towards the castle. They arrived within minutes.

_What exactly happened here?_

_Where is the castle?_

Everything was gone. If she hadn’t spent countless days and nights there, she would not have even known the castle once stood. Where the dining room should have been, both fathers stood several feet away from an equally shocking sight. Chai was crying, her shoulders shaking as muffled sobbing rocked her body. Muffled because older Trunks was holding her as she wept. Rarely had Chai cried in Tsuchi’s life. Never had she let a man hold her as she did so. Maybe Papa. Onee-chan had been holding back in her explanations.

“What happened?” Goten-kun asked.

Chai had stopped crying and pulled away from the young prince long enough to explain the civil war in the Rat Kingdom, the agreement between Matei and Rooibos, and the thousands now dead, including all but three members of court. Tsuchi thought her sister looked terrible, eyes so red that they didn’t even look brown anymore. 

“Can’t you use the Dragonballs?” Trunks-san asked.

The young woman nodded her head, creating more distance between them as she stood. “Yeah but not for another eleven months. I have to get my people through until then.”

“Did Matei really kill Yerba?” Tsuchi asked, tail dragging behind her.

“Yes.” Chai looked her sister right in the face. “I killed him for it too.”

Papa looked over suddenly. “Heya Basil!! Isn’t that my shirt?”

“Hello, m’Lord, and yes. Her Majesty left it when she took Archivist Cinna to the Medical Bay,” the steward answered as he approached.

“I keep tellin’ ya, ‘Goku’ is fine,” the man chuckled. 

Basil nodded, bowing to Tsuchi and Goten as he passed, then finally handing the article to Chai. The woman pulled the shirt back on, barely covering the sai strapped to her legs and regarded Basil with a coy smile, as though her face wasn’t red and puffy from crying. 

“Do you have good news for me?” Chai asked, her tail rewrapping around her waist. 

“No, Your Majesty,” Basil answered, evenly.

“Wonderful. Did the Rat Prince decide he’s a bastard too? Is the Tiger Kingdom on their way here? Did a giant hole open up on the Earth? Perhaps the sky? I’m not picky at this point.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, come now, Basil. I was hoping to go from shitastic to clusterfuck.”

“With all due respect, M’Lady, are you done?”

“Did Godzilla rise up out of the sea?”

“No, thank Kami. However, I was hoping for some orders to move forward.”

Chai-chan crossed her arms over her chest.

“You’re literally no fun.” She then turned to her sister once more. “Princess, what do you think?”

“Oh… What people and infrastructure do we have left? We shall start there.” the girl turned to Chai for encouragement who simply nodded her head. 

Basil nodded his understanding then glanced at both queen and princess. 

“Send to both Duchess Chamomile and Prince Hibiscus to see if we can help each other out. Also, the Snake and Rooster Kingdoms. We are still on good terms with them. Report to me by nightfall, tomorrow,” Chai concluded.

Basil bowed and left. Tsuchi sighed at the amount of work this would all take to fix. No amount of books, practice or lectures would have prepared her for all of this if she was the sitting queen. She glanced back over at Chai, who was still maintaining her image of Almighty Ox Queen. Still, she knew that nothing like this had ever happened during her sister’s reign. In fact, the last time damage of this magnitude had occurred, it was the night before their parents wedding. Not only was the castle engulfed but several buildings. Only a few people had died, however, not an estimated quarter of the populace. 

“Weren’t you three told to stay behind?” Vegeta-san asked, suddenly turning to the trio.

They all froze, dropping their shoulders and lowering their heads.

“Aw, c’mon, Vegeta. It’s not like there was any real danger here. And besides, didya really expect them to stay away from fighting? It’s in their blood, after all,” Papa pointed out.

Ojii-san turned to Papa. “I don’t know how you raise your brats, Kakarrot and I don’t particularly care!!” He then looked directly at Trunks-kun, lowering his voice. “I, however, expect my son to listen to me.”

“Sorry, Papa,” the boy muttered, looking away. 

“Go home now. I will deal with you when I get there,” the saiya-jin growled.

The little prince simply nodded then took to the sky. Tsuchi watched, wondering how her friend would be dealt with. Sometimes Vegeta-san could be severe. Far more than Mama or Papa was with her and her siblings. The oldest saiya-jin then turned to his other son.

“You as well! We have a bit to discuss.”

The time traveler stood as well.

“Otousan, what did I -” 

“You think I don’t see what you did!? Twelve years ago, Trunks, I told you not to -”

“I know what you said.” The younger man’s eyes darkened and a small scowl appeared. Tsuchi had seen her friend angry often enough to recognize the expression on his future self. He was much calmer though than this timeline’s version would have been. “So are you going to make good on your promise to beat me bloody for disobeying you?”

“No, boy. As usual, you’re a glutton for punishment and what you’re doing to both of you is enough,” Vegeta-san sneered.

A pained look appeared on Chai-chan’s face. She suddenly looked no different than she did when the little hybrids first came across them. Trunks-san shifted just enough to be in front of the queen. It wasn’t obvious. He wasn’t blocking the path to her body, necessarily, but the motion was a touch possessive. Tsuchi wondered if Onee-chan also noticed it. 

“I’m not -” he began.

“You are.” Vegeta then took to the sky. “I had better see you at the house.”

17 Years Ago

_No running away._

That was what she and Gohan-kun had agreed on. Of course, that was before Piccolo-san died. Before Krillin-san and Gohan-kun were both beaten pretty harshly by Nappa. And what did Chai do? Talked some smack and got thrown into some rocks.

_What good did I think I was going to do?_

The past year, besides mourning and trying to stay out of Oka-san’s way, Chai spent most of her time reading so that she could rule, and doing her best at blueprinting the new castle. Ox Ojii-san had rebuilt what parts of the village had been damaged and helped out the people that suffered losses, both personal and financial. In actuality, those things were more important, thus why they weren’t left to her. And she knew that if any changes needed to be made to the design to the castle, if she forgot anything, or put something in a not-great place, then Ojii-san would take care of it, but she still wanted to do her best. 

So if that had been her focus, not preparing for the coming threat, then why did she think she would be helpful? Chai knew in the back of her mind what it was. She missed her brother and father. She was impatient to see them. It was selfish, and she put herself in harm's way, not thinking of the damage her presence would do to others. If she trained though...

_Could I make time to train? Would Oka-san allow that?_

She had roughly seven years before she would be expected to take the throne. In that time, she needed to be well-educated in all of the Twelve Kingdoms, including the history of her own; etiquette, diplomacy, warfare, domestic and foreign affairs, economics, infrastructure, and so much else. 

It was also suggested that she be well versed in weapons-smithing, as that was one of the Ox Kingdom’s primary forms of income, and farming. They still grew mostly their own crops in order to keep trading simple and imports low. 

And a husband. In two years, Chai would be visiting with the kingdoms to meet with the local princes. Among them, she was to choose a husband. Of course, if a hero turned up that was the caliber of her father, then he was also a viable candidate. 

When Papa met Mama, they were both very young teenagers, and he’d saved the Ox Kingdom a few times. He also defeated the Red Ribbon Army before the age of 15. No prince of the Twelve Kingdoms could have held a candle to Papa’s accomplishments, and so when Mama set her sights on him, Grandpa was more than happy to approve their marriage.

_What would I look for in a husband? Do I even want to marry?_

Chai touched down on Turtle Island and waved Kinto Un off. She could still feel Otou-san’s ki from here. He was amazing. Sure, the man wasn’t always on top of things, and had to have a lot explained to him, but he loved them and he was ultimately a good person. He was the most powerful man on Earth and used all of that power to protect. He was a warrior with a heart of gold.

_Would that be too much to ask for?_

Inside of Muten-Roshi-sama’s, everyone was still there from earlier, gathered around a large crystal ball. It was the size of Roshi’s television and nearby was a short woman dressed as a witch, crying for everyone to be careful with her crystal ball. 

“Did you see that!? Goku just took that blast head-on!!!” Oolong exclaimed.

_Oh no!!!!_

“He’s… he’s untouched. He’s flying upwards!!!” Ojii-san pointed out!!

“Go, Goku!!! Go!!! Show them who’s boss!!!” Oba-san shouted, swinging her fights around.

Chai smiled. Maybe things would go well.

“Hello,” the girl said, closing the door behind her.

Chi-Chi started up towards her daughter immediately.

“And where have you been, young lady!!!?” Chi-Chi demanded. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring down at the princess.

“I went to where Gohan-kun was fighting,” the girl answered. 

She looked her mother in the face as she did so. 

Rule 1 of being queen: You always look others in the face, even if you are scared. Even if you are ashamed. Oddly, she wasn’t ashamed of her actions, nor was she that afraid of Oka-san’s wrath. For the moment, at least.

“Explains why that dress is so.. so filthy!” Chi-Chi exclaimed. The woman then got on her knees and began turning Chai this way and that, examining her daughter from head to toes. “Yo-you’re not hurt are you?” She couldn’t hide the tearfulness in her voice.

 _That_ made Chai feel a little ashamed. She was honestly sore all over, especially where Nappa had grabbed her tail.

“No, Mama. And Gohan-kun is okay too. Papa gave him a magickal -”

“I- “ her mother sniffled but tried to look impassive otherwise. “I know your father’s back.”

The girl nodded eagerly and her mother fell to pieces around her, gripping her little girl and crying loudly. “Goku-sa!!! Goku-sa!!! And Chai-chan, you’re okay!!! And gohan-chan will be okay!! Your Papa will protect him!!!”

Chai couldn’t move her arms. They were pinned to her sides by her delirious mother but she wrapped her tail around her mama’s back and tapped comfortingly on her shoulder. “Yes, Oka-san. Otou-san will protect Gohan.”

_We can be a family again._

“That… that little guy told the big guy to step aside!!!” Puar cried out.

“That Vegeta guy just killed his own comrade!!!” Oolong shouted.

Disgust passed over Chai’s face. Yeah, that sounded about right.

“He seems very powerful,” Roshi nodded. “Goku might have a tough time with this one.”

Chi-Chi began up with a start and rushed over to the crystal ball, shaking it violently for such a petite woman. Roshi, the witch, and Ojii-san were trying to get her to put the ball down while Bulma, Puar, and Oolong fled the immediate area. 

“Goku-sa!!!!! You better destroy him!!! Destroy him for trying to hurt our babies!!! Do you hear me, Goku!!?!??” Chi-Chi screamed at the glass. 

“Now you listen here!!” the witch shrilled suddenly. “You put my crystal ball down and treat it with some respect or it and I are out of here, and you won't be able to watch the fight!!”

Chi-Chi turned towards the woman, still holding the ball in her hands like an oversized laundry basket. Even over their shouting, Chai could hear her Papa telling Krillin and Gohan to leave so they wouldn’t get hurt too. She wondered if they were also coming to Turtle Island. She also heard Krillin advise Otou-san to fight Vegeta elsewhere in order to preserve the bodies. 

“No, you look here, Uranai Baba!!! That is MY Goku fighting to save all of us, and I will watch him win!!”

“Now, Chi-Chi, dear. It’s not unreasonable to ask that you put it down. What if you drop it!?” the Ox King, offered.

“Dad, I am NOT going to -”

The earth shook suddenly, jerking to and fro. Chai could feel the ki that was causing it. Vegeta. With power like that, the bastard truly was the Prince of All Saiya-jins, as he claimed.

Chai fled forward as the crystal ball slipped from her mother’s arms, holding her own outstretched. She caught it easily and held it firmly, even as the Earth shook. It ceased as quickly as it came and everyone stared down at her, mouths agape. 

The girl got an eyeful of her dad and Vegeta fighting. Her Papa was in midair, his shirt ruined and a wound already bleeding from his head and chest. Vegeta appeared untouched and smug. _Papa…_ Could anyone else see this?

“Say, Baba, how much does that thing weigh?” Muten Roshi asked, rubbing his chin.

“About 50 pounds I think.”

She heard her Papa shout something about “Kaio-ken times three” then watched in awe as Otou-san suddenly became larger and bulkier. He glowed red.

“Goku-san’s power…” Bulma whispered, the scouter now on her head. “17,000… 19,000… 21,000…” She shrieked as it blew off her face and landed in pieces on the floor.

Maybe her father could win this. 

_How strong is Papa, exactly? How strong is Mama? Gohan?_

_How strong am I?_

“50 pounds” Chai muttered, bouncing the ball slightly in her arms. Baba’s eyes got wide as she did so. “It feels like nothing.” She then held it out in one hand and bounced it again, forcing the fortuneteller to rush over and telekinetically snatch it from the girl with a frown.

“Hmmm. Goku was also very strong as a child. I guess it should be no surprise.” Roshi added.

Chai set it down carefully on the ground as her grandfather hummed behind her. Everyone seemed to calm down and come closer to observe the fight again. 

“Say, does anyone know where Launch is?” Bulma asked.

“She took off to follow Tenshinhan. She was very fond of the young man, both sides. I wonder if he was able to handle her, he-he,” Roshi recalled.

“I wonder if she knows,” Bulma mused, sadly.

The ball suddenly glowed, going from red to blue to red and back. It crackled with electricity, so hot it emitted all over the house, blowing up lamps, the television. From within her father screamed words she’d rarely heard. 

“Ka! Me! Ha! Me! HAAAAA!!!!!!”

And with that, the energy from the ball lashed out. Everyone dove away from it, sure it was going to blow up. Mother and daughter held each other, both shaking, both determined to take the most damage if the ball did blow up. The crackling stopped suddenly and they both looked around. No shards of glass sticking out of furniture and the walls. 

Slowly Chai crept from behind the couch. The crystal ball was still intact and it was no longer glowing. Roshi and Baba also came out from their hiding spots, followed by Bulma and Chi-Chi, then everyone else.

Muten Roshi-sama studied the ball, adjusting his glasses. “Now didn’t I blow up the moon years ago?” 

“The-the moon?!!” Bulma exclaimed.

It was true. The moon glowed from within the crystal ball. And Vegeta was quickly becoming a large monkey, taller than the mountains. His canines grew large and his eyes glowed red. He could eat Otou-san if he wanted to!! One tooth was the size of her father. 

It was like watching a human hunt after a fly. Goku zipped around the giant ape, and although Vegeta kept missing him, he was doing a lot of damage to the mountains as he swiped after him. Quickly, Goku was running out of places to hide. How was he going to fight him?

He hopped to another mountaintop. Vegeta then suddenly smacked him to the ground where he wasn’t moving.

_If Vegeta turned into an ape at the full moon, why hasn’t Papa? They’re both Saiya-jins aren’t they?_

_‘Now, Chai-chan. Remember, you and Gohan-kun can’t go outside when the moon is full._

_Chai looked up from under her covers as her mother pulled the blinds tightly shut._

_‘But why, Mama?’_

_‘Monsters come out, baby.’_

“Ugh!!! Yajirobe!!! Why aren’t you helping Son-kun!!!!?!?!?!” Bulma-san screamed, smacking the ball. It rolled across the house and Uranai Baba chased after it.

“Papa doesn’t have a tail. Why doesn’t Papa have a tail?” Chai asked.

“He used to,” Roshi answered her. “I believe he said Kami pulled it out and got rid of it for good.”

“Why?”

Roshi simply smiled and nodded at the ball as Baba brought it back to the group. 

_We’re the monsters. We’re the monsters under the full moon._

“All plants and animals and humans of the Earth!!! Lend me your ki!!” Goku shouted from within the ball. They couldn’t see anything, however.

“Everyone, raise your arms up and focus on Goku,” Roshi instructed, setting down his staff to raise his own arms to the sky.

Chai did as instructed, thinking of Otou-san and all of the memories she had. She thought of how powerful he was. How safe he made her feel. How much she wanted him to win.

_This. This I can do to help._

She smiled contentedly, losing herself in the exchange.

There was a sudden scream of pain from her father and the loss of ki vanished, leaving Chai feeling only weak. Another scream of pain erupted. 

“PAPA!!!!” Chai screamed at the crystal ball. It was still blank. 

She couldn’t see. 

She could only hear.

“DIE!!!!!!” Vegeta screamed, then suddenly began screaming in pain.

What was going on!!!?

“Kakarott!! How dare you scar my face!!!” 

“Ha!!!” Chai laughed until she heard Otou-san’s telltale screams of pain. “Papa!!!!”

“Goku-sa!!!! Goku-sa!!!!” Chi-Chi screamed next to her.

“Do something!!!!!” Bulma screamed at Baba.

“If you hadn’t hit it, we could see!!!!” Baba yelled back.

They couldn’t drown out the screams though. They were horrid. Worst than Piccolo’s screams before he died. Chai now knew the difference between screams of dying and screams of being tortured. 

“Feels like most of your bones broke just now, huh? Does it hurt?” Vegeta laughed in his deepened voice.

Her father simply wailed in response.

Chai fell to her knees sobbing. 

_Please make it stop. Somebody make it stop._

She stared over to the open window. That urge to go back returned to her.

_She couldn’t make it stop though. What could she do?_

The screaming stopped. Did… did he… ?

“You’re just in time,” Vegeta laughed suddenly. “He was about to die.”

_Who is he talking to?_

There was a sudden battle cry. 

_Krillin?_

Vegeta laughed again. “You guys were mistaken to have challenged me to battle!!”

“Stop!! Stop!! Stop!! Stop!!”

_Gohan-kun…_

“What’s wrong? Too afraid to move?”

_Not again. Kami above, not again._

“GOHAN!!! YOU MOVE!!! YOU MOVE DAMN YOU!!!!” Chai erupted.

Vegeta suddenly screamed out in pain, the voice slowly going from booming to a normal-sized man’s voice. Or a short man’s voice.

“Why.. why you!!!?? You want to die so badly?!!?” the Prince cried out.

“Gohan! Get out of there!!” Krillin-san cried.

There were grunts and sounds of battle. Fists hitting flesh. Kicks landing. Boulders being broken. She was surprised at how she could suddenly identify different noises.

“ Is that the best you can do?” Vegeta snidely said. Gohan suddenly cried out. “I guess the son of scum is scum as well!!”

“There!” Baba cried out and an image killed the ball. Vegeta, holding a limp Gohan-kun by the shirt. The man was smiling as bruises slowly became clearer on Gohan’s flesh.

There were hisses and groans all around her as everyone took in the scene.

“You… you evil... “ Chai sputtered.

“How awful,” Oba-san looked away.

Mama was strangely silent. 

“How can he be so cruel to a child!?” Roshi exclaimed.

Chai crawled in front of Chi-Chi, waving her hand in the woman’s face. 

“Oka-san?? Did you faint? Mama?”

Chi-Chi’s hand slowly came up and gripped Chai’s wrist. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but it made her stop.

“Fight,” the woman whispered. “Fight.”

Chai slowly loosened her hand from her mother as an angry look came over Chi-Chi’s face.

“Fight!! Gohan!! Fight!!!” 

The princess scooted away in a crab-like fashion as Chi-Chi got to her feet, voice becoming shrill. “Avenge your father’s death Gohan!!!! FIGHT!!!!”

In her frenzy, she kicked the crystal ball away. Uranai Baba ran after it once again, but at least this time they didn’t lose the image.

“Fight… hmmm… Perhaps, Muten Roshi-sama, you would take on Chai-chan?” Ojii-san suggested.

Chai looked up with glee in her eyes. Sure, the Turtle Hermit was a bit of pervert, but he wouldn’t try that with a student would he? Besides, her mother would kill him if he did try anything.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!!?!!!?!?” Chi-Chi screamed, planting down her feet. 

The girl’s heart sunk at the second syllable.

“Now, Chi-Chi, dear!!!” he put his hands up defensively. “It would simply make sense for Chai to know Turtle Style and you’re busy with the house, and Goku-san is...”

Baba got the ball back to them.

“No, Dad!! Absolutely not!!! Chai-chan will learn to rule and that is it! It is not necessary for her to learn to fight!!”

“But Chi-Chi, even you know how to fight,” Bulma-san pointed out.

Chai shook her head, as much as she appreciated Bulma even ticking up for her, it was pointless. If Oka-san said “no” then “no” it was. And if she wasn’t trained, she couldn’t fight, and if she couldn’t fight then she’d never be able to help if something like this happened again. 

“Exactly,” the woman nodded, proudly. “Between Goku-sa and myself, Chai-chan does not need to learn how to fight. Even gohan-chan could protect her, if need be.”

Father and son were now side by side on the ground. Papa was alive. He was talking quietly to Gohan-kun. 

“What did Piccolo teach you? I’m counting on you, Gohan” Otou-san whispered. 

Suddenly Vegeta was on the man. He kicked him away from Gohan then began kicking him in the side repeatedly. That horrible screaming began again. 

“No,” Chai said, suddenly. “He couldn’t.” 

“Now, Chai-chan!!” her mother began.

“You weren’t there mom!!!” Tears were now coming down the girl’s face. “A blast was coming straight for Gohan and he wouldn’t move!!! I tried to move him and I couldn’t!! He pushed me away!! Piccolo took it for him!! Piccolo died!!” 

“You hated Piccolo so much, Mama!!! Said he was such a monster!! He didn’t seem like a monster to me! Does a monster die for Otouto-san?!!?”

Chi-Chi crouched in front of her daughter, pulling her closer as the girl continued to wail. 

Inside the ball, Gohan was being beaten bloody by Vegeta as the saiya-jin used both fists to pound the boy into the Earth. Sure, he was fighting now. Now when it was too late.

“You see!?!?! You see how much Gohan can defend!?!? And me?!?!?! I could do nothing!!! Nothing!!! I was useless!!! Ten-san died!!! Krillin got beaten up!!! Gohan took hits to defend me!!!”

After a few more moments Chai’s crying came to a halt. She simply sniffled and whimpered into her mother’s shoulder. 

Gohan was back on his feet. He was bloody and heaving but he was fighting. Immense pride welled in the girl’s chest. 

“Let me learn to fight, Mama.”

“I can’t, Chai-chan. I can’t! What if you go to fight and don’t come back?!”

“But you’re encouraging Gohan to fight!! And he can’t take Vegeta!!!”

“He-he… Gohan-chan…” Chi-Chi began shaking suddenly as well. Now it was the daughter's turn to hold her mother as she cried.

“They vanished!!” Roshi shouted.

Chi-Chi and Chai looked up, dark watery eyes staring in the crystal ball. They heard Gohan shout out a Kamehameha. Chai’s heart turned upwards. She didn’t even know her baby brother learned that. The hit missed but he was holding up, fighting with everything in them. 

“Where’s Krillin?” Bulma asked.

“You didn’t see?” Roshi answered.

There was a blinding light as Vegeta released multiple blows at the demi saiyai-jin. It was smoky and bright. Small eruptions went off and Vegeta laughed. 

“Think you can get away?” 

_That must mean he didn’t hit -_

Gohan screamed. His ki was still there though. He was still alive. The smoke cleared inside the ball and they were faced with Vegeta charging at a kneeling Gohan.

“AHHHHHH!!!!!” Krillin shouted. “HIT HIM!!!!!”

Vegeta stopped, and stared behind him as a large blue blast came at him. The man ducked and but where it went they couldn’t see. Instead, they watched as a crack formed in the ball. It spread slowly over Gohan’s image as he looked up in fear, then shattered.

Chai stared down at the pieces and her broken image stared back. She carefully fingered at the glass, even tried sharing her ki with it like she did for the genki dama but it did nothing. It was just glass.

“How could my crystal ball crack!?!?!?” Uranai Baba cried. The witch then suddenly began to frantically piece it together as though it were a thousand piece puzzle rather than a large glass sphere. 

“G-Gohan-chan,” Chi-Chi whimpered. 

Roshi-sama sighed, shaking his head. “That was the Genki Dama Goku created earlier. He gave what remained of it to Krillin, and the boy missed.”

Chai could still feel the blast. It had a unique sense - it was everything and nothing. She felt Gohan’s ki rise then she felt as Vegeta’s ki rapidly began to decline as well as the energy of the blast. Did it hit him? Did they bounce it back somehow?

The atmosphere calmed. Uranai, miraculously, was holding the ball together with her hands and magic, awaiting Roshi-sama to return with glue. 

_Glue…? Are you serious?! The secret to divine balls is cow marrow?_

“Baba!!!” Chi-Chi rushed to the woman, gripping her dress and allowing the ball to shatter once more. “Please!! Show me Gohan-chan!!!”

_And of course my mother is the bane._

“Chi-Chi, stop!!” Ojii-san shouted. “How would we get to him anyways?!” 

The woman then stopped suddenly, turning to stare at her father with understanding.

“I’ll take you, Chi-Chi, and you Chai!!” Oba-san offered. “I have an airship!!”

Everyone had loaded up, including a fat, white cat called Karin-sama. He had arrived moments after Bulma offered to fly them there. It was large and sleek, big enough to fit 20 people.

They were silent as the ship took to the air but Chai couldn’t hold in her question any longer. She wasn’t leaving this alone.

“Mama, please let me train,” she softly asked.

“Chai-chan. Please. Put fighting out of your head,” Chi-Chi firmly answered.

_I can’t._

“Okay, Mama.”


	9. The Pieces Wont Pick Up Themselves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sons come home to enjoy a typical family dinner but it's a bit much for Chai.
> 
> Chibi Chai has serious Vegeta hate and must return to her royal training.
> 
> This chapter is a bit lighter, a bit more fun. I wanted to make sure I was bringing more of the characters into it, including a crazy lady I really love and miss. 
> 
> Title comes from "Pieces" by Icon For Hire.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy and please r&r

The Sons had left the site of the battle soon after the others did, instant transmitting back to the house that Chai had grown up in. It had hardly changed, save for being now built of sturdier materials. Didn’t her dad recently blow part of it up on accident? White clouds hung overhead, though Chai thought they may have been from the fight, not a weather occurrence. She also noted that there was an extra ki: Yamucha. _Otou-san’s been gone. Is mom…? Oh gods, is that why she was wearing the armor….? No way!_ Nearly as soon as Chai entertained the thought Chi-Chi was on them. At least she was back in her usual yellow cheongsam. She looked just as maternal as usual, hair in a tight bun and apron around her waist. _No, definitely not possible._

“Goku-sa, where have you been?!! Chai-chan, what happened to the kingdom!!!?? Tsuchi-chan, Goten-chan, you two haven’t been lagging on your studies again, have you!!!?” 

“I am caught up, Oka-san,” Tsuchi-chan beamed. 

Goten-kun groaned next to her, his tail dipping behind him. “Call me when dinner’s ready,” he said and left for his room, which had once been Gohan’s bedroom. 

Before that, the twins shared Chai’s old room until their most recent birthday. With upcoming developments, it would soon be very inappropriate for them to share a room, their mother had decided. This was probably especially wise since Trunks-kun would occasionally stay overnight and sleep in Goten-kuns’s room. Of course, when they were young, Tsuchi-chan was there too but that was fine considering all parties involved only had innocent thoughts. Now, well, it was only a matter of puberty.

The matriarch folded her arms before her oldest child. They were matched in height, and in tenacity. “Well?” Chi-Chi asked.

“There was an invasion. We won. The castle is gone. Over half of our people are dead. I’m taking care of it,” Chai quickly stated then began into the house. Her mother followed, completely forgetting to press her father for the answers she wanted.

“What do you mean gone!! Dead!?! What-what happened!?!!” 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Chai answered, heading directly for Tsuchi-chan’s room. She assumed they’d be sharing it. As she passed the kitchen, she saw Yamucha also wearing an apron and checking something in the oven while Pu-ar hovered next to him. The sight was disturbingly domestic, especially in the Son residence. 

_What the hell is going on!!??!?_

“Chai-chan, you answer me, young lady!!!!”

“Oka-san, please. A lot happened today. I need to think about what I’m going to do,” the girl called from the room before closing the door. She’d likely get grounded for that. 

_Huh? Grounded. I haven’t had to think about that in ten years._

Tsuchi came into the room soon after Chai, Chi-Chi’s shrill commands audible, even through the door. The girl immediately began getting out of her training gi as Chai looked her over for bruises. There were a few, and a couple of cuts, but nothing that looked severe enough to come from the boys.

“I swore you were limping before,” Chai said.

“The boys found me a senzu bean,” Tsuchi-chan answered, tossing her clothes in the hamper.

“Was it out of date?” the elder sister asked, nodding to a scratch on the girl’s cheek.

Tsuchi touched the mark then frowned. “Before we found you all we found several survivors by the Mad River. They were getting attacked by Rat soldiers and the three of us intervened. The leader, she did something to our ki so it had been a tiny bit of a challenge.”

“Why did you not have the leader in captivity?”

“She escaped…” Tsuchi admitted, finishing pulling a towel around her and using her tail to keep it secure. “Now how close are you and Trunks-san, exactly?”

Chai flicked air at her sister, making the girl wince. “We’re friends. Good friends, but friends.”

“You guys looked like great friends.”

“Tsuchi, drop it. All you need to know is that it was in the past. It belongs there. Now then, has Yamucha been a frequent guest lately?” Chai asked, irritably swishing her tail.

“It would be awfully romantic. Rekindled love.”

“Tsuchi, I’m about to rekindle you. Now, why is All-Star in our kitchen?”

“I don’t know, actually.” the girl shrugged. “I’m gonna take a shower.” 

Tsuchi then left the room and called out her plans to their mother - oddly, it was Pu-ar who answered.

“Sounds good, Tsu-chan!!” 

It really was as though the ex-bandit lived there, and really it wouldn't have bothered Chai if not for the fact that Dad was gone a lot and Yamucha had a certain reputation. If she was going to get through staying here, however, she should probably resist making the man’s presence an issue. After all, she liked Pu-ar. Chai missed having a cat around, and shapeshifter or not, most cats were relatively similar. 

Then again, not making trouble meant staying in the room she and Tsuchi were sharing.. Already, Chai didn’t quite want to be alone in the room, but she also didn’t want to deal with her mother yet. Either way, she’d end up reflecting on today and that simply wasn’t what she wanted to be dwelling on. 

The room wasn’t too changed from her old one. Some things were moved around, like the bed now pushed to the far left wall, only a foot away from the door and near the window. It wasn’t the same bed, at least. Where the bed used to be, opposite the door, was a desk with art supplies and the books Chai was having her sister study. On the wall, above, was an embroidery of a man and woman walking under a cherry blossom tree. On the far right wall was the closet, and the wall that shared the door also housed a bookshelf, smaller than the one Chai once had. 

There were some of the same books there that she had as a child but there were also a lot of books on education, diplomacy, and romance novels. Chai turned to the shelf and crouched before in, noticing that the books were double shelved, with books hiding behind other books. Chai pulled forth _The Hobbit_ to find _Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe_. It was a more recent novel, Chai knew, because she’d read it. It was beautiful and sweet. She actually remembered the text making her heart ache. Why was Tsuchi hiding it?

The door clicked open and in the time it took the younger demi to open it, Chai had already replaced the book and moved towards the closet, opening it casually. She even made sure to keep her ki, heartbeat and tail in check. 

“Hey, are any of my clothes still here?” Chai asked.

Tsuchi stepped in, now wearing pajamas with her hair plastered to her face. “Yeah, I believe the top drawer.”

Chai frowned, levitating in the air a few inches to reach it. Would she even fit into any of it? Should she ask about the book? Why was imouto-chan hiding it? Maybe it was nothing - just the way Tsuchi organized her books. It just seemed counterintuitive to have half of your titles covered up by other books. 

Chai dug through the contents of her old dresser. Those bras probably wouldn’t fit her. Those panties definitely wouldn’t fit her. _Socks, oh good. Something consistent._ The queen began to rapidly pull articles of clothing out, pressing them against her body, and tossing them into two piles. So far she only had some socks, maybe one bra, some coveralls, a large grey sweater, another plaid shirt of her fathers, some training shorts, and - _why do I still have this?_ Before Chai could touch the ripped denim material, she threw her acceptable clothes back into the drawer and slammed it shut. 

“Hey, Tsuch’. I have a wardrobe for you.”

“Hey guys!!! Boar lasagne is ready!!!” Yamucha happily called from the kitchen. 

Tsuchi ran out the door to the dining room, and Chai could hear the footfalls of Goten-kun following after her. She had to admit, boar lasagne sounded amazing. She could smell the garlic and spicy meat from about the moment they’d gotten home but was too deep in thought to really relish it. The demi shed her father’s plaid shirt, and her sai, then joined the rest around the table.

It was honestly a welcoming sight. Mama with her apron still, plating large portions for the twins, who were eagerly sitting next to Papa with their mouths watering and tails fluffed. Papa sat looking quite similar, eyes shining at the sight of food, and a napkin in his shirt. Yamucha appeared from behind Mama, and sat down another casserole dish of food to join the first four, along with the seven loaves of bread, and six bowls of salad. 

Chai took her seat next to Goten-kun and watched Yamucha carefully as he sat down the steaming dish. Pu-ar was next to him, feeling the need to direct where things ought to go. It was honestly cute. The young woman wet her lips before asking the burning question.

“So, whatcha doing here, Yamucha?” Chai asked, accepting a piece of bread.

“Oh, well, you know your dad and I are real old friends, Chai. And it gets lonely in my flat in the city,” Yamucha shrugged. 

The young woman pursed her lips, deciding that didn’t explain much.

“You didn’t come over like this when I was a child, so I thought perhaps you were in dire straits.”

“Not really. My baseball career is doing great but sometimes I like to get away from the city. I did originally come from the desert. Man, those were the days.” he told her, taking off his apron and sitting down next to Chi-Chi. Chai narrowed her eyes, trying to stay in control of her ki.

He continued to plate food for himself as though it were normal. That made her tail tense. It began to unravel itself in order to swish her scent around. This was her house.

“You seem rather at home. Do you come by often?”

“Now Chai-chan, what are you implying?” Oka-san glared. 

“Oh my!” Pu-ar gasped from across the table.

“What could I be implying?” Chai retorted. 

“Chai, you can’t possibly think that!!!” Goku said after he finished his first plate. Oh good, Otou-san wasn’t quite as foolish as she thought.

“Right?” Yamucha chuckled, though a horrified look crossed his features. “Goku here would kill me if I touched his wife.”

“Well,” Goku cocked his head to the side then got another plate of food. “I wouldn’t be too happy… but I don’t think I’d kill ya. Just rough ya up a bit.”

“Yamucha really doesn’t come over that much,” Goten offered. “Mama’s been teaching him to cook and in exchange he’ll sometimes bring over the meat!! He and Papa catch up on old times and sometimes he tells us about the adventures they had before you were born.”

 _Ohhh…_ the eldest demi blushed and stared intently at her salad while chewing her lasagne. “One of you could have mentioned that, y’know...”

“It’s okay, Chai!” Pu-ar piped up. “You’re just looking after your family.” 

The saiya-jin smiled at the shapeshifter. She was wearing a napkin tied around her neck like Goku was, and still floated before the plate of food. 

“While we’re on the subject of marriage, have you met any nice princes? Kings? Men?” Oka-san asked, cutting into her piece of lasagne. She stared down at her plate as though her eyes might do the work of her knife.

“Nope,” Chai answered, letting the ‘p’ pop as she did so. She was focusing very hard on cutting her food without damaging her mother’s plate. Her appendage sheepishly returned to its usual place.

“Honestly, Chai, with all of the people you deal with, none catch your attention?”

“Not much farther than potential lunar company.”

Otou-san suddenly began choking and pounding on his chest at Chai’s bold admittance, while her mother shrilled, “Not in front of the twins!!!”

“They will learn soon enough,” the queen countered. “It’s part of being a saiya-jin! Not the most pleasant part, depending on your situation but part of it, nonetheless.”

“What is lunar company?” Goten-kun asked. 

Everyone froze at the question. Chai wasn’t exactly ready to answer that when she didn’t even know if the twelve-year olds knew what sex was. How would she explain that full moons stirred the blood to fight and/or fuck? Sometimes, she could avoid either one by going on a good hunt, but aside from large predators, not much provided that. Further, the fact that she engaged in monthly casual sex just to not kill something was, well, awkward.

“It’s none of your concern, Goten-chan,” Chi-Chi answered.

“Chai just said it was a saiya-jin thing,” Tsuchi retorted.

“When you’re older, Tsuchi-chan. Right now, don’t worry about it,” Chi-Chi insisted.

“It’s sex, isn’t it?” Goten-kun inferred.

Once again, Papa was choking on his food, Mama was shouting, and Yamucha was laughing. Goten was both trying to defend his knowledge to Oka-san as she thrusted her torso across Chai’s plate to better chastise her son, and quiet Tsuchi, on his other side, who demanded he tell her more. Eventually, Chai scooted her chair away from the table to just get out of the way. The girl stood, making eye contact with her father, who was eyeing her unfinished plate. She pointed to the food, then herself, then her eyes, then him. In response Goku placed his hands up at her in surrender. 

The young queen then let herself into the kitchen in search of wine. The most alcoholic thing in the fridge was rice wine vinegar and some grapes. In the pantry, just yeast and canned peaches. Chai closed the door with a small thud. The commotion was still going on in the dining room.

“Oh and I bet you learned all of this from Trunks, who learned all of it from Vegeta!!!! You know, your father doesn’t turn into a blood- or sex-crazed lunatic every month!!!!”

“Mom, you send us to grandpa’s every full moon…”

“You’re right ‘Ten!!! And grandpa is the only one not a saiya-jin or married to one!!!”

_Oh boy…_

Chai turned to the kitchen table to begin putting away any left out ingredients and wash dishes. Anything to busy herself. She lifted away the cutting board and knives, revealing something brown and leather underneath. Chai pushed aside everything else on top of it then gasped.

_How did I forget about this?_

The demi cradled the book in her hand and began to flip through the yellowed pages. It was old, not surprising since it came from the archive room, and it’s contents were hand-written with hand drawn diagrams. It’s authors tried to put a table of contents at the front but the organization looked to have gotten out of hand at some point. 

The first several pages were names and descriptions of notable people, including the original Queen Chai. Then myths and stories involving these people, origin tales, and tales of war and love. There were family trees scrawled, marriage agreements, land agreements, agreements between kingdoms, much of which was over 300 years ago. 

_I can’t believe the kingdoms worked together this long._

Further in, she found recipes, more notable figures - including her father -, letters, photographs, more myths, then nothing. A quarter of the pages were blank. Why had she never seen this? So much of her family’s history existed in these pages, culture, and even agreements that may have been helpful to her in dealing with the other kingdoms. They could be useful to her now, she figured.

“And Goku-sa!!! Where have you been all week!??!!!”

_Fine question._

The demi held the book at her side, leaning against the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. She watched as Oka-san seemed to have grown several more feet just to lean over the twins and glare at Otou-san. Of course, that was not really the case, but she swore that woman made herself bigger when the need arose. 

Papa looked terrified, face stained with sauce as he leaned away from his wife, edging farther every few words. “Training with Vegeta… Hopping around the... universes with... Whis and Beerus… Hanging... out at Capsule Corps…”

“So, in other words, NOT GROWING RADISHES!!!!!”

“Chi-Chi, it’s off-season!”

“YOU COULD PLANT BROCCOLI!!!!!!”

“Papa, you farm now?” Chai asked from the corner. 

Both parents turned to look at her and the woman prayed her mother would not suddenly unleash on her. 

“Yes,” Mama sighed. “Your father is finally working - OR HE WAS!!!!” she turned back to him. 

Later that night, Chai laid in bed next to her sleeping sister. She’d been staring at the ring Clove would have given her. She’d pulled it from her pocket while getting undressed and decided that she needed to see it.

It was beautiful. A simple band that resembled two rings braided together with a row of three studs every few centimeters. It was practical for a warrior. Simple, meaningful. A tear fell down her face, trickling along her cheek. 

_I would have taken him over most men._

“Oh, Clove, you didn't deserve to die,” she whispered.

“It could be worse,” Tsuchi-chan muttered, snuggling up to the elder sister. 

Chai clasped the ring in her palm, nearly dropping it. She looked down at the smaller girl, her eyes closed and her breathing slow, tail peeking out from the blanket. 

“How so?”

Chai put the ring in its box and reached across Tsuchi’s form to set it on the side table.

“You could be dead. I would miss you so much Chai-chan,” the girl muttered. 

The woman smiled and turned to face her, closing her eyes. “I’d miss you too Tsu-chan.”

By afternoon the next day, Chai had come to a few conclusions. The first was that she needed to give Basil a raise. His report had come to her around lunch and it was both depressing and extensive. They had 15,460 people left in total: 2,570 soldiers in various conditions, 12,410 working class in various situations, and 450 orphans and elderly in need of care. That last number was unacceptable. 

Because they had less people, however, that also meant they needed less food. And Chai’s loss of control the day before cleared a lot of the debris and ash, making more of the land accessible again for farming, and spawning bits of treasure everywhere. Some families suddenly found themselves wealthier and Chai didn’t have it in her to correct the situation. On one hand, it would have been wrong given everyone’s losses, and on the other, it was simply something she didn’t want to put energy towards. Instead, she needed to figure out where the hell she was going to get metal ore.

When Duchess Chamomile reported back to Basil, she readily agreed to help in any way, but they actually didn’t have much ore left. It helped to explain what had been going on the last six months, but why neither Yerba or Matei didn’t say a damned thing was beyond her. Then again, everything Matei had done was beyond Chai’s understanding, and she was still struggling to figure out how long she’d been dealing with him rather than the rightful king. Still, it left Chai without alloys and metal ore and without that, her people could not continue with smithing. Without smithing, her kingdom would quickly become completely penniless. 

The Rat Prince had not responded to Basil’s inquiries but that also didn’t really surprise Chai. She imagined between Princess Rooibos’s death and King Matcha’s health, that were plenty of riots and revolts. At least, that was the way it had been over there for the past year, part of what spurred the civil war. Hibiscus had his hands full, his father still very ill, and there had been rumor that he would die soon, leaving Hibiscus to rule in a kingdom that currently held little love for him. 

The Rooster Kingdom was not much more helpful. Queen Ceylon reported that they did not have much in the way of resources other than silks. She did offer that they could send skilled explorers to help find more ore to be mined, and fine diplomats so that perhaps Chai could meet with one of the kingdoms she did not have the best relations with. Neither of which was what Chai had in mind but she wasn’t going to completely disregard the offers either. 

The Snake King simply told Basil that although he held love for the Ox Kingdom, he would prefer to stay out of the mess that now existed between the three kingdoms. Whatever. Who needed him?

The next conclusion Chai had come to was that she could not live with her mother after ten years of not living with her. It wasn’t quite that she couldn’t drink or have lunar company under her mother’s roof. Chai would find ways to deal with that , but she forgot how overbearing Oka-san could be. 

For a woman who gave up the throne, she had many opinions on how the throne should be run. 

“This didn't even happen when the mountain was on fire!!!”

“I know, Oka-san. Your cousins weren’t insane though, were they?”

“Matei was still my cousin!! And Yerba… oh Yerba…”

“I suppose the crazy extends differently to different branches.”

“What was that?!”

“Nothing, Oka-san,”

Also, why was marriage and children the subject over breakfast? Before coffee, even?! 

“Didn’t you give up the throne so you could enjoy having a husband and several children?”

“Chai, you’re nearly 30!! Your beauty will not last forever, nor will your fertility!!”

“Actually, if Otou-san and Vegeta are any indicators, my ‘beauty’ will last a while yet!!!”

Chi-Chi then suddenly pulled the cast iron skillet she’d been cooking with from the stove top and swung it around, seeming to forget that it was full of eggs. 

“Well, aren’t you so lucky!!!?”

After breakfast and before Basil’s call, there had finally been a tiny reprieve from the family drama. Yamucha told her dad that a picnic for a few hours should be enough to keep him fed at Chi-Chi’s table and so that’s where her parents had been for the last hour, freeing up Chai to do what she pleased. Based on the last time the castle had been destroyed, it would likely be months before she could have it rebuilt, and the queen wasn’t spending them at Mt. Paozu. 

“Oka-san’s gonna be mad you left without saying goodbye,” Goten-kun pointed out.

Chai made sure the orb was easily accessible in her coveralls as she packed away what stuff she had in an old bookbag. The few clothes she found, her sai, some books that Tsuchi-chan didn’t mind her taking, and the archive book. 

“I’m just going to Gohan’s. They have plenty of space, and I’ve hardly seen the baby anyways,” Chai replied.

“And you don’t care that we tell her?” Tsuchi-chan reaffirmed.

“No. I want you to tell her. I don’t want Oka-san to worry, but I can’t pretend to be a child again.”

17 Years Earlier

“I can’t believe you let Vegeta go,” Chai said from the wall opposite a row of three hospital beds where her brother, father, and Krillin had all laid.

It was the first day since the Saiya-jins had come to wreck the Earth, and so far an easy day in the hospital where the three fighters were healing from their injuries. It was a feat in and of itself. Goku hated hospitals, especially the take-it-easy part.

“I wanted to fight him again,” Otou-san reiterated quite matter-of-factly. 

“After everything he did to our babies!!!!!?!” Oka-san exclaimed.

“Chai is fine and Gohan isn’t that beat up. Besides, I want someone I can challenge myself against!”

Oka-san then got right into Papa’s face, asking him if he remembered the condition Gohan was in, the fact that I couldn’t fight and was there anyways, the fact that people died. Next to the girl, Bulma tensed and began sniffling at Yamucha’s name before quickly excusing herself to the hallway. 

The heiress had been a screaming, crying mess since yesterday. Occasionally, there was mention of a woman named Launch that needed to be reached, but no one knew how to reach her. Chai still couldn’t believe her dad spared the person that ordered the killing of three of his friends, including the fact that Piccolo’s death held so many extra consequences. Now no one was coming back. Including everyone that Nappa had also wasted while flying around bored, there were over 20,000 people dead, permanently. 

Still, her father maintained that he would simply get stronger than Vegeta.

_But what if he comes back stronger than you? What if there is someone even stronger out there that we aren’t anticipating?_

‘One chance in a million is better than no chance at all,’ her father had said while they were looking for the bodies. Then again, he had said that in reference to the possibility of Dragon Balls on Namek. The possibility of bringing everyone back. Still though, Chai couldn’t help but think that comment applied to many things in life, including the possibility that her father wasn’t the strongest person in the universe. 

She thought of the bodies again and shivered. Chai still couldn't believe how purple their fingers were when the survivors gathered the bodies. Lips and fingers, probably toes too.She tried to force the image from her head but still she remembered the three caskets, how there wasn’t one for Chaotzu because there wasn’t any Chaotzu to put into a casket. Bulma had explained tonelessly that they were meant to preserve the bodies for potential resurrection. And now that Nappa’s ship had accidentally been blown up, there was no way to Namek. Bulma had calculated the trip with her best ship to take over 4,000 years. 

“Dad, will you take Chai to Fire Mountain for half the day tomorrow?” Oka-san spoke up suddenly.

“Well, sure Chi-Chi but why?” Ojii-san answered.

“She needs to continue preparation for the throne. There’s a few issues you were telling me about and it would be good practice.”

“But what about Papa and Gohan? I want to see them!” the girl cried. 

“It’ll be fine, Chai. We aren’t going anywhere,” Otou-san told her, cheerfully.

“You are absolutely right, Goku. You aren’t!” his wife told him sharply.

**************************************

Chai sat in a small silver and purple throne next to her grandfather as several members of council presented issues to them. Though she knew it was necessary, it was pretty boring and overwhelming all at once. How come there were so many problems? How come they were either so screwed up or so petty? 

Why did the Dragon Kingdom have to pick on the Rooster Kingdom, and what did that have to do with the Ox? 

Where was little Violet Hakuma? 

How come the Farr boys couldn’t keep out of the cabbage fields? 

Why couldn’t the Snake Kingdom chill out about where PRECISELY their border began and the Ox bordered ended? 

_I’d rather be at Roshi’s. Even if he did oogle me._

At least he didn’t make her wear a flouncey gown, though the girl still had to wear a dress of her choosing, and a tiara. She switched which hand was holding up her head on the arm of the throne and felt at her tiara to make sure it was still straight for all of her fidgeting. But seriously, why did so many girls simply dream of being princesses? 

_Don’t they know this sucks?_

“Your Majesty, our crop output was worse than last year,” Camphor, the Ox King’s steward said simply. Next to the man was his son, Basil, who would be Chai’s steward once she was queen. He, evidently, sat in on many of these meetings. 

“Well that’s odd,” Ojii-san replied. “Is our rainfall the same as last year? What about soil acidity? It’s surely no hotter or cooler than normal.”

“Both are within typical ranges, Sir. Bees seemed to have become disinterested, however.”

_Crops. Pollinators. Wasn’t I just reading about this?_

“What about butterflies?” Chai spoke up, suddenly.

“Butterflies, Your Highness?”

“They also pollinate. So do hummingbirds.”

“Our hummingbird population decreased,” Basil then spoke up. Green hair and yellow eyes, he was his father’s twin, though the boy’s skin was considerably paler.

“Why?”

“Hawks are in their hatching months, M’lady. More mouths to feed.”

“So bees and hummingbirds are decreasing. The crops aren’t getting pollinated properly.” Chai then strummed her fingers on the metal chair, trying to remember what she read. “If we plant more fennel, that’ll leave some for us, but it’ll also attract pollinators. Also, Holly shrubs. Perhaps, they’ll feed and shelter the hummingbirds.”

There was the sound of notes being scribbled as the Ox King smiled down at his granddaughter. She returned his grin with one of her own.

“Well, King Gyumao, perhaps your Kingdom will be known for farming soon, rather than warfare,” Camphor said, dryly, though there was a warmth in his eyes.

“Perhaps so,” Ojii-san chuckled. “I think we are going to call it for now. The princess appears quite tired.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Camphor replied. “We’ll review and retire for the day. Enjoy yourself, Princess.”

The Ox King and Chai rose from the thrones, the council bowing to them until Ojii-san and Chai bowed in return. The conversation continued behind them as they left towards the chambers. Although Chai did not live there full time, there was still a room for her, complete with paintings she favored and a wardrobe she could tolerate.

“Isn’t it early still, Grandpa?” she asked the huge man next to her. Grandpa was a giant in comparison.

“Chai, did you want to learn to fight?” he asked her.

The girl glowed. “Yes!! Yes I did!!” 

“Okay, well, you can’t tell your mom, and maybe not your dad or brother. When you’re here without Chi-Chi we can go over to Roshi’s at some point during your visit. Probably only an hour at a time. How does that sound?”

The little demi just nodded her head rapidly, overjoyed that she and her grandpa were going to conspire to get her trained. Yeah, it would probably be an hour with Roshi every week but that was better than nothing. She’d heard that both of her parents were naturals at fighting, so she should be too, right?

******************************

The first thing Chai noticed about training with Roshi was how quickly he said yes. He eagerly put down his dirty magazine and hopped to his feet, staff in hand and circled her a few times, looking her over. 

“Yes, yes,” he said. “A little slender but I think we can put some muscle on you. Wont look bad when ya grow up, he-he.”

“Ummm, Muten-Roshi-sama…” Ojji-san cleared his throat from the side.

“Right! So, Chai, have you ever received any training?”

“No, Muten-sama,” she shook her head, looking down.

“No matter. Everyone must start somewhere, right?” He put a friendly hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled warmly. 

Chai nodded shyly. Pervert, sure, but she also knew Muten Roshi-sama was one of the best. He did train her father, after all, and her grandpa. Both of them. She trusted him to stick to the task at hand.

“Alrighty then, so first I want to test your speed. I want you to run from one end of the island to the other, and I’ll time you.”

The girl nodded, walking over to the end closest to her. She could already feel the humidity pressing against her skin. That was the second thing she had noticed. The location made the work she would do here a bit harder on her body. That was fine. It just meant she could maximize her efforts.

Chai eyed the other edge of the sandbank.

“Go!!”

She took off as quickly as her legs could carry but when she tried to stop, Chai’s toes tipped her towards the ocean with her arms out. Not that they did any good. Water entered her nose and got throughout her hair and gi. It was the one her father used to wear when he was closer to her size. 

She lugged herself out of the ocean, dripping wet and shivering from the breeze that passed over her. Roshi was laughing heartily while Ojii-san had his hands at his face, though she could see that his eyes were wide with fear.

“Chai!! I can’t take you back to Chi-Chi like that!!”

“S-s-orry, Gra-a-ndpa…” 

“Ho!! Ho!!” Roshi held his belly. “Not to worry, Gyumao…. She can shower and dry off here after I test her strength. Ha-ha… Oh…” 

The old man peered down at his timer, then pulled down his sunglasses for just a moment to get a closer look. “8 seconds… like your Dad did. Granted, he had years of training on him, and his saiya-jin blood. I’m thinking how light you are has something to do with it.”

Despite being cold and wet and in fear of her mother’s wrath, Chai was quite proud that she had the same beginning speed as her dad. It gave her hope that maybe she’d be a promising fighter. 

Roshi went back inside and returned soon after with a tall machine with a round pad that stuck out from the middle. 

“This is a punching machine. A bit modern for my taste but it is fairly accurate and I don’t have to get too badly hurt trying to estimate my student’s abilities, he-he. Go ahead, girl, give it a try.”

Chai nodded, before shaking some of the hair from her clothes and hair. She felt a little better, though her tail was going to be frizzy soon. She nodded to herself then stepped in front of the machine. The pad looked hard, like it would hurt. Chai knew no pain-no gain but she still hesitated. What if she didn’t do well here? Would Roshi not take her seriously?

“Pretend it’s Vegeta,” Roshi offered.

Chai giggled at his suggestion then slowly frowned. Yeah, she’d punch him good if she had the chance. And just keep punching him. And punching him. Until he didn’t move. 

_What’s wrong with me?_

The girl raised her fist, thinking of the man and the terrible screams from her brother and father that she heard from Baba’s crystal ball. Only yesterday. Anger filled her chest, adrenaline coursed through her body, and with a loud roar she hit the red pad as hard as she could. A red 164 blinked onto the screen but the girl didn’t see it. She had her head bowed down and she was panting from her anger. 

“Hmm…” Roshi hummed.

“How-how did I do?” 

“Well, I didn’t use this method with your dad so I can’t really compare, but 164 is stronger than most adult fighters. Then again, you’re not entirely human, girl. In the end, I imagine that will serve you well as it did your father.”

“So you’ll train me?” She asked, raising her head to look at him.

“Son Chai, I was going to train you, regardless. Now go wash the salt water from your hair. Don’t want your mother driving over here to kill me,” he chuckled.

Chai nodded at him and went inside to take a shower, trying hard not to trail water behind her. She didn’t want to start things off by disrespecting her master’s home.

She showered quickly, and was toweling off her hair when a shrill voice erupted through the house.

“Well, old man!!?!? Where is he!!? Where-where is Tenshinhan!!??!”

“Now, Launch, I don’t know if you know but -” Roshi-sama’s voice answered.

“Of-of course I know!!! I just… I need to see him, alright!?! Show me!!!!” 

“Launch, I know you’re upset but please put the gun down.”

Chai quickly dressed in the forest green gown she was wearing earlier and dashed into the living room where her grandpa was pressing himself to one wall while the old timer was being pressed to a wall by an automatic rifle. The person holding the rifle was a tall, pretty blonde with a red bow and camo pants. She was gritting her teeth and staring hard at him, but tears were beading at her eyes.

“Hey!!!!” Chai shouted from the bathroom, hair still dripping down her back.

The woman then turned the gun at her. “And who the hell are you!?!!”

“L-Launch, that’s Son Goku’s daughter, Chai. Do you remember Goku?”

The gun was suddenly back in his face. “And where the hell was Goku when Tenshinhan was getting killed, huh!!?!”

Chai suddenly felt for the woman. Obviously, she cared for the triclops and was upset over his death. As much as she sympathized, however, that was no reason to come barging into a person’s house with a gun. Did she even know how to use that thing?

“Come now, Launch. You saw just as I did that he killed the man that killed Tenshinhan,” a voice said from the doorway.

A boy about Chai’s age walked in behind the crazed blonde. He was lanky with a dark brown crew cut and magenta eyes. He regarded Launch with a coy smile and walked in the door comfortably with his hands in his pockets. 

She whipped around quickly, pointing her automatic from Roshi to the boy, who did not hide the fear on his face well but otherwise remained unfettered. 

“Convincing the Blue Me to give all that money to an orphanage when I could use it right now!?!? How the hell am I supposed to drown my sorrows, now, huh?!!”

“I can help you plan another heist, Launch, but not if you shoot me,” he said, coolly.

“Hands out of your pockets kid!!!!” she jutted it further into his face.

The boy did as told but as he brought out his left hand, he threw some powdery substance into Launch’s face. 

“Ah-ah-ACHOO!!!!” 

Chai’s eyes widened as the woman’s hair literally turned a deep violet color and her eyes softened. The woman’s gaze went down to the gun in her hands and she flushed a deep red. 

“Oh, dear. I’m sorry, Clove…”


	10. We Are Prisoners to Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future Trunks POV - Goku Black has been destroying his timeline and Bulma and Mai's deaths slowly eat at Trunks' sense of self. What can he do?
> 
> Chibi Chai tries to find her place while Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan make plans.
> 
> I'm trying to get back on a more regular schedule. This is the longest chapter I wrote and it's a little angsty. Hope you guys enjoy. As always, rate and review.
> 
> Song comes from "Call to the Warrior" by Affiance.

T - 13 Days

Everlasting darkness, hazy air, barren earth. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the sun. There wasn’t even the sound of children crying or people screaming. Everything was dead. What was left of humanity hid underground like roaches.

He was ducking around ruined buildings and bits of car that somehow survived. The smell of burning was a permanent resident here, even when fires weren’t aflame.

He needed to remember to keep his ki completely hidden - a foreign concept. And he needed to run and hide, like a coward.

_My father would be so ashamed of me. Gohan would be ashamed of me, Chai… both would be ashamed. How the hell do I call myself a hero?_

_Mother. Her bright eyes are as determined as ever. Come on, Mother, come with us. We need to go._

Why couldn’t he make himself speak?

_Mother._

There’s that shadow again. Why was it so familiar? So huge? Such powerful ki. 

_Mother?_

He grabs her. That shadow. The young man can’t get to her. He reaches out but she fades into black and screams for him.

“Go, Trunks!!! You need to go!!!”

“MOTHER!!!!!!”

The saiya-jin sat straight up, hand going to the sword at his bedside without thinking. It’s dark just like his dream but not the darkness of an apocalypse. It’s just nighttime. He’s not in a lab but a bedroom and it’s not in shambles. It’s actually quite kept. And Mother isn’t here, at least not his Mother. His Past Mother, whom he loves just as much, is here. And she’s alive at least, unlike _his_ Mother.

He laid himself back down to the bed, breathing in the sheets. They smell like the last time he was here, 12 years ago. Like her, and although breathing in her scent punishes him in a completely different way, it also calms him. What he’d give to actually have her here, not just so he’d sleep better but just to have her.

When Trunks first arrived, he noted that Oka-san put him in the same room - in fact, it was untouched. It still had the same books in the shelves, clothes in the dresser that were now a little baggy on him, and all the same materials he used to clean and sharpen his blade. That had gripped him in a way he wasn’t expecting. To know that even though he wasn’t from here,and he wasn’t the Trunks that they were raising, he was still their son to them. That he still had a home and family here. Things the Androids, and now Goku Black, stripped him of. 

He had tried to take a nap, which his body sorely needed but when he laid down, he noted the sheets hadn’t been changed in 12 years either. He could smell Chai and all of his interactions with her on this bed. At first, he breathed in the scent deeply. He couldn’t believe how it calmed him… and turned him on.

“Not right now,” he had told himself. Especially now. 

His thoughts quickly turned from all of the times he held and kissed Chai to the girl he just let die… Mai… and no, he’d never felt quite the way for Mai as he did for the female saiya-jin, but he was beginning to love her. 

The day before they were supposed to come back to this timeline, Trunks had even allowed himself to think about what he might want with Mai when this all ended. He’d always love the demi from the past but they knew a real relationship was impossible. And besides, Mai was strong, optimistic and beautiful. She’d been fighting next to him for the past year, saved him more times than he could count. She would be easy to fall in love with, if he’d just let himself. He never let the Earthling woman in on these thoughts but he had them.

Now all of those plans were blown to shit. And Kami knows what that monster was doing to his timeline while he was here. On one hand, it gave him time to train and get his strength back up to where it was supposed to be - nevermind that he could match Goku while in SS3 - that simply wasn’t enough!!!

But what if there was nothing left to save? Nothing left but his revenge? 

Trunks clenched the sheets and gritted his teeth.

_Goku Black, you will pay. You will pay for all of the people you made suffer. For killing Mai. For killing my mother._

Truth be told, being back was stranger than the saiya-jin thought it would be. First of all, his mini was no longer a baby but a young teenager and honestly, quite a bit more spoiled than he imagined. And gods, was he this obnoxious and disobedient as a kid? 

Then there was his father. Vegeta was both more involved in his future son’s daily life here - even his well-being - and yet his expectations somehow higher. It was the kind of interaction he had wanted with the man the first time he was here, and to finally get it when he’d expected his father to be removed and closed off was also disconcerting. And now he felt less deserving of Otou-san’s approval. He didn’t feel like a quarter of the man he was a decade ago… everything was so screwed up. 

And there was a kid Mai, who his younger self seemed to like. If that didn’t drive the knife of his failure deeper, then nothing would.

And Chai wasn’t married. Gods what that was doing to his psyche. Trunks actually found himself thinking about trying to fix things with her. _Don’t be a dumbass. Just fantasize about her a few times and get it out of your system_. That would have been simple if sex was all he wanted. 

“Fucking hell,” he muttered, getting out of bed and tossing his now drenched shirt to the side. He was covered in sweat and now the sun was slowly coming up. 

Trunks went to the adjoined bathroom and started a shower before pulling his clothes off. The mirror revealed how much mass he’d lost in the past year. Sure, because of their semi-nomadic and warlike lifestyles, saiya-jins were evolved to handle lack of food, but he was only half-saiya-jin and the weakness that provided to his body was evident in that he could still starve to death. His chest was no longer pronounced and his arms half as large as they used to be. And Kami he was covered in scars. 

It was startling for Trunks to see himself this way. He’d never realized until now how much being a powerful warrior mattered to his identity. The scars didn’t bother him at all, in fact, they helped him anchor to that identity now more than ever.

He looked away from his reflection, shaking his head, and got into the shower to try and wake up more. Shortly after he got in, he could feel Otou-san’s ki as the man got up for the day. Perhaps his father would let him train with him. That would be both useful and distracting. Trunks finished his shower then went back to his room to dress in a grey tee and sweatpants before going down to the kitchen. 

Otou-san leaned against the fridge, staring at the doorway from the hallway expectantly when the demi got down there. The Prince regarded his son with a questioning glance before opening his mouth.

“Still timid, I see. Speak, boy!”

“Otou-san, let me train with you this morning,” Trunks replied.

Vegeta sneered slightly. “A request, rather than a question. Seems you haven’t entirely forgotten your heritage.” He then began towards the Gravity Room, Trunks not entirely sure whether or not to follow. Why did his father have to be such an anomaly?

“Did you need an invitation?” Vegeta called over his shoulder.

“N-no, Father. Sorry…” he followed the man around the other side of the house and into the gigantic dome-shaped training room. Vegeta went to the center console and began inputting the gravity level. “What did you mean though? I have never forgotten my saiya-jin heritage.”

“Not that part! By the time you had last left I had at least gotten you to carry yourself like a prince!! Seems you’ve forgotten exactly whose blood you carry.”

The strength of the gravity then shot up and the lights went from bright and fluorescent to red. Trunks felt his body tense at the difference but otherwise made no indication that the change affected him. He stood tall and proud, as was expected of him.

“I haven’t forgotten!”

“Then show me. Younger Trunks spars with me at 200 gravity. Alone I train at 600 times gravity. Let’s see where you fall..”

“The other night you had him at 300 times gravity.”

Vegeta then smirked and blazed gold. “That was a punishment,” he phased suddenly behind his son to land a punch, which Trunks half-turned and grabbed. They stared at each other for a moment, tiny smirks matching. 

“Some things don’t change,” Trunks replied.

Vegeta pulled out of the young man’s grip easily and so Trunks lunged forward with two strikes, which his father easily dodged before kicking his son twice in the ribs. That caught the demi off guard. His father had gotten much faster. They were better matched last time. 

“Like your fixation on Kakarot’s daughter!” Vegeta shouted out before launching forward.

Trunks knocked that fist out of the way and landed one hit on his father’s cheek though it wasn’t as hard as the kicks he just received. He let out a loud growl as his father tauntingly smirked at him.

“There’s nothing between her and I!!!” 

He jutted forward, Vegeta flipping backwards and barely missing a strike to the chest then pushed himself from the wall to land just before the young prince to sweep his feet out from under him. Trunks leapt in the air and came back down with a kick that Vegeta knocked away. Instead of being thrown, however, Trunks flipped from his father’s arm back to his feet. He breathed heavily, the ache in his muscles making it all too obvious how weak he’d gotten. 

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. His lips curled in slight disgust. “This is a waste. I cannot believe you’ve let yourself go this much! My own heir!!” He then turned on his heel to leave the room.

“I’ve been holding my own!!”

“And I’ve been holding back. Quite a bit!”

Trunks phased between Vegeta and the door. “No. I came here for your help.”

“Boy you are beyond my help,” Vegeta gritted. “You’ve forgotten your heritage, your pride, your purpose - everything about who you are!! I came here to train my son, not his shadow!!”

A deep growl rumbled from the young man’s chest. _Prove worth. Prove worth as Alpha’s kin_ , his inner beast urged. Gods, they couldn’t agree more.

“Then beat your son out of his shadow,” Trunks gritted back.

“Tch. Maybe there’s still some saiya-jin in you, after all.” 

Vegeta then roundhoused his son right in the jaw, knocking the younger man several feet away. The demi landed on his knees but got to his feet quickly and shot in front of his father, who flipped out of Trunks’ way each time he tried to land a punch. He then delivered another kick that Trunks barely blocked with his forearm which gave the saiya-jin a chance to punch him instead. The young man felt his jawbone crack and snickered slightly. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. 

“Tell me, boy, do you sleep?” the man asked.

The young prince blocked another strike of his father’s and kicked towards him, missing as Vegeta backflipped away then came back with a signature barrage of kicks. Trunks dodged each one, barely then found opportunity to grab the Prince around the calf and toss him aside.

“As much as I need to,” Trunks lied.

Vegeta landed adeptly on one knee then shot up again as the time traveller phased in front of him to return the roundhouse he earlier received. Vegeta moved enough so that his son’s foot grazed his cheek. He went Super Saiya-jin God in a millisecond and punched Trunks, sending him across the gravity room. Vegeta watched as his son slowly got back to his knees at least, another bruise already visible in a tear in his shirt.

“No, quite less than you need to!!! You also eat less than you need to!!! Are you trying to kill youself before Black does!!!?”

The time traveller looked away.

“No, Otou-san.”

“Then why the hell are you neglecting your body? It’s not going to make me any softer on you. Now go Super Saiya-jin and come at me!!!”

His second shower of the day was far more satisfactory. The ache in his muscles and bones from grueling training rather than fighting for his life was a welcome sensation. Even the bruises and cuts, which would heal the next day, were somewhat euphoric. It would all make him stronger. Get him closer to destroying Black.

_Then what?_

There were how many humans left when he left? A few hundred? Mother had calculated that there just needed to be 50 viable couples in order to prevent extinction. Any less then, either inbreeding would become commonplace or humanity would be gone in just a few hundred years. Then again, Trunks himself was half-alien. What if they could go into space and find a compatible species? 

He needed to defeat Black first though. Still, the saiya-jin couldn’t help but wonder if he really was just prolonging their extinction. He’d never give in or give up, but his mind wouldn’t stop calculating all of the factors.

It would become easier to hunt for resources. There had to be more food stored somewhere and more medical supplies. More shelter. Gods, clean water. What could they grow in that soil, though? Were there any animals left to eat? How long would the sun take to come back?

He should consider what resources he could take back to his world. Anything could be capsulized. Surely, his mother could create something that could provide an abundance of artificial sunlight for farming purposes. And he should bring seeds and more non perishables just in case -

BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trunks planted his feet and pressed a hand to the showerwall to steady himself as the whole compound shook. Bottles fell at his feet and when the jerking stopped, he ripped the curtain open to see the bathroom a mess. But what was that?! Black again?!?!

His eyes saw red as the saiya-jin pulled pants on and ran for his sword. He forgot to turn off the water until he was going past the bathroom again. He couldn’t sense any new ki, and not any of that devil. He felt his father zipping around the compound and stopped near his mother, so the demi figured he should go where he felt both the ki of Chibi Mai and Chibi Trunks. It still felt weird referring to his younger version by name. They were in the lab, he could tell that. The lab where the time.. _Shit…!_

“Why do I have to…? Godsdamnit!!!” Otouto-san wailed from several feet away. “Ok this… no… if I put…”

“No, no. Young man, it was like this!!!” Pilaf’s voice shrieked.

“Guys, Big Me is gonna kill me!!!”

_Why do you say…?_

Mirai Trunks rounded the corner and ran into the wide white room which was now smoky. There was the unrelenting beeping of computers mixed with the voices of his younger self, Pilaf, Little Mai, and Shu. He glanced at the young girl then looked away. She reminded him too much… 

All four were panicking and talking frantically amongst themselves about what to do. Their voices mixed however so that nothing made sense. But no one was hurt and there were no enemies around. The time traveler looked around and realized the smoke was coming from the time machine.

_No…_

“What.. what happened…” 

Everyone quieted, looking away from him, including his mini who held a deep look of guilt. Trunks was trying hard not to let his anger show, but he could feel that he was shaking. Water dripped around him. He remembered that he never dried off, just got into fight mode.

Behind him, his parents appeared. He could feel his mother going around the time machine to where it was smoking to assess the damage. “So those coils are fried. That fuel is gone. And these wires need to be replaced. Ugh, this crack will need to be repaired…”

The demi felt his stomach turn over.

_The fuel…? How long does it take to make the fuel here? It took Mother a year to make the fuel that got me here and it was only good for a one way trip._

“What happened?” Trunks repeated. Chibi glanced up at him, then the machine.

“We were just trying to help fix it… So you could avenge Future Mama..”

The time warrior closed his eyes and shook his head. He couldn’t be that mad. How often did he do what he thought was the correct course of action for it to blow up in his face? Going off on his own, blasting up Gero’s lab to no avail, the list went on. Still, he couldn’t stop shaking. 

“How long now, Oka-san?”

“Well, if I work around the clock…”

“I don’t want you working around the clock.”

“18 days now. So not quite another week.”

Black will have destroyed everything by then. Unless he could make sure the machine got them there exactly when he needed it to. A few hours after he left. The damned thing was so unpredictable though!

“How the hell did you cause this much damage?” Vegeta barked.

“I.. uhh… “

“It doesn’t matter. I’m… going to Gohan’s,” Trunks said finally before gripping his sword and going back to his room to finish dressing.

As he flew over the city, Trunks wasn’t sure if Gohan would even be home. He just… he needed to busy himself somehow. The news about the time machine was disparaging. Everything was slowly stacking more and more against him. And Gohan had always been wise. Always gave decent advice, even this one who was able to set aside a life of fighting to have a family.

The saiya-jin descended in front of Gohan’s lavish home. He still couldn’t believe that he’d grown to not only become a scholar but somehow married Mr. Satan’s daughter. Videl seemed nice enough and Gohan mentioned that she used to be a fighter but being related to Hercule... 

_I don’t think I could deal with that liar for a father-in-law._

Gohan was certainly here. Even calm, his ki was easy for Trunks to pick out, though he supposed that was because of his old master. He went up and lightly knocked on the door, hoping his presence wasn’t neusensing. Moments later, Videl opened the door and smiled widely.

“Trunks!!!” 

“H-hello, Videl,” he bowed quickly. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No, not at all,” she shook her head then opened the door wider. “Gohan will be happy to see you. Please, tell me you’ll stay for lunch.”

“Oh, of course,” he blushed.

“Perfect, and, actually… my father isn’t here to watch Pan. I was going to get Gohan from his study but would you mind instead?” The woman gave a weak smile, no doubt hopeful that he’d say yes.

_I should have stayed home._

“You… you want me to watch Pan again? I, uh, kind of let her destroy your living room last time…”

“It would be a huge help!! And this time it won't be for as long - I’m actually almost done in the kitchen.”

He left his sword by the couch this time and let her put the quarter-saiya-jin in his arms. The little girl cooed as she reached for his face again. He quickly held her out until she put her arm back and he took both of them to the couch. Especially after sparring with his father, he didn’t want the baby pinching him. The girl had a grip. 

“We’re not having a repeat of last time,” he told her before bouncing Pan on his knee, vaguely remembering Gohan doing that last time. The baby giggled loudly and Trunks couldn’t help but smile a little. He wasn’t lying when he told Gohan that he had no experience with children. Saving them, sure, but he never actually held one before coming back here. And, now that he thought about it, he rarely saw children as small as Pan. It was… rare… only half survived past the first year.

“I was hoping we could be friends,” he told her, “Or at least have a truce.”

It was still foreign and strange. Playing house, knowing his timeline was being terrorized. 

_I’ve trained today though, and it’ll be three weeks until the time machine is fixed. There is nothing else I can do, other than perhaps train more. Besides, I’m just here to talk to Gohan._

The little girl squealed then immediately lunged for his shirt and grabbed for his hair. 

“Ouch!! Hey, Pan, let go!!”

 _Not again…_

The door clicked open and Trunks was filled with both a sense of embarrassment and relief. 

“Son Pan, to me!!”

The pain subsided but now he was entirely embarrassed as the tiny saiya-jin let go and flew over to Chai, who stood in the doorway with a bag of groceries in one arm and held Pan to her hip in the other one, looking down at the little girl with a half-grin.

“You are way too small to be challenging a Saiya-jin Prince,” she stated. “Now be nice so I can help your mama in the kitchen.”

Pan babbled at her in an animated manner to which Chai laughed and shook her head as though they spoke the same language. She tickled the girl’s cheek with the end of her tail and something in Trunks’ instincts kicked up.

_Stop._

He felt his inner beast growl it’s dissatisfaction but otherwise subside.

“No, no excuses. Be good or you don’t get any umeboshi,” Chai told the baby.

The girl quieted immediately and stared at her aunt. 

“Oh, you understood that, didn’t you?” Chai laughed.

The sound rang through the room, stilling all of the saiya-jin’s thoughts on death, destruction and crazed versions of Goku. He let her take over his senses for a moment, including her spicy, earthy scent. It was so much more potent than the smell that somehow lingered in his sheets. 

Trunks stared at her. She looked so natural with a child in her arms. It reminded him of when he’d visited after destroying the androids and Chai happened to be fertile that week. Her scent had changed and drove him absolutely crazy with the desire to breed with her, which had only been intensified by his feelings. 

_Kami above, you fucking kill me._

_‘I’d rather be the life of you.’_

_Why did you have to say that?_

Her lush, dark hair fell to her waist as she moved towards him, drawing his eyes for the second time this week to the roundness of her hips. The dark coveralls she wore did little to hide how full and feminine her bottom half was. In contrast, her bare arms were shapely and strong. Chai was a gorgeous blend of curvy and muscular, and she still seemed just as he remembered her. Passionate, independent, and generous. She must have had hundreds of suitors over the years. How had none of them married her?

 _Mine_ , his inner beast growled. His father once explained that because they are of elite blood, they had both a more verbal and intelligent beast, but also an overall better handle on it. It was easier to stay in control but if your instincts were piqued, it tended to be more vocal. Trunks shut his eyes and urged it to shut up and behave. _Not anymore. Not ours anymore_ , he told it. 

Again, his beast growled in annoyance. _More than happy to hold Mate before._

_She was in pain. She needed comforting before._

_Mmmm. Protect Mate. Please Mate._

_No. There’ll be no more “pleasing” her._

He felt her sit beside him, her vibrant ki tickling along his skin from this close. Chai didn’t seem to notice, instead focusing on Pan, and letting the little girl hold both of Chai’s index fingers in her chubby hands. The quarter saiya-jin was moving them wherever she liked while Chai kicked her feet against the coffee table so that Pan was resting against her thighs and the woman was slouching against the couch.

“Give her hands something to do, and she wont grab at you,” the younger demi instructed. “Like all cubs, she has a lot of energy and has to be doing something active.”

“Cubs?” Trunks asked her.

“Saiya-jin children are called cubs. Wanna give it another go while Videl and I burn down the house?” Chai smiled over at him and Trunks had to remember to breathe.

“Keep the house intact. This place looks expensive,” he said, taking Pan one more time and letting her play tug-o-war with his fingers. That seemed to satisfy the baby. 

It wasn’t long before he was called to the dining room with Pan. Thank the gods. The smells of chicken, rice, and dumplings had permeated from the kitchen, mixed with spices and the strong aromas of oranges and onions. 

Videl placed her daughter in a high-chair before the table and he was simply instructed to sit. Gohan still hadn’t shown up, though Trunks supposed being a scholar kept the man very busy. He somehow found himself content to listen to Videl and Chai chat between themselves as they set the table.

"Thanks for letting me stay here tonight," Chai told Videl, setting down three bowls of ambrosia, carrying one with that lovely tail. Trunks’ mouth watered. Fruit was something he hadn’t seen in six months.

 _Mate we haven’t seen in twelve years_ , the beast noted.

_Shut the fuck up._

"No problem! You're always welcome here. Oh, I never thanked you for the ki detectors for Pans room. Her flying around it is one thing but out of it…" Videl simply shook her head. 

Now there were five plates of beef yakitori and nine bowls of cabbage salad on the table, along with eight plates of amaebi and a stock pot of steamed rice. Amaebi… when did he last eat any kind of sushi?

_I wonder if Gohan can smell all of this._

“What about your parents though? I’m surprised you’re not staying there,” Videl asked, setting down three bowls of the umeboshi Chai earlier promised.

“My mom is driving me nuts!” Chai exclaimed, setting down three bowls of dumplings before sitting down herself. Trunks wondered if she purposefully sat down next to him.

“‘When are you getting married? I want grand-babies! The kingdom needs an heir, you know!’ Well Mama, Gohan has already given you a grandbaby and as far as an heir is concerned, that’s why I’m prepping Tsuchi to rule. Besides, at least we aren’t the Horse Kingdom,” she sighed.

For a moment, Trunks remembered five years ago. He was moving heavy parts around for his mom so she could start working on other projects. She had been trying to accelerate the growth rate of various vegetables so they could feed the remaining humans better food quicker. 

_‘So, honey. Meet any girls?’_

_‘N-No, Mother. No one of note.’_

_‘Really? You brought a pretty one home last night.’_

_He rolled his eyes as he sat down the pots of broccoli, then went back for the tubs - literal bathtubs - that Bulma had Trunks remove from abandoned houses for her to try to grow her experiments - carrots, peppers, celery._

_‘Ugh.. Oka-san… it was the full moon last night. You weren’t supposed to see her…’_

_‘Ah, so you’re not dating her?’_

_He sat down the last of the plants and went back for more stuff, calling over his shoulder._

_‘Sorry to disappoint!’_

_‘Ya know, if you wanted to go back… I think you and Chai would make beautiful children…’_

_‘I can’t leave you here alone. And besides, she… probably already has ‘beautiful children’... with someone else.’_

Videl was setting down plates and cups. “Why? What’s wrong with the Horse Kingdom?”

Chai quickly reiterated yesterday’s events, prompting the time traveller’s mind to think about the destruction of her kingdom, and the destruction of his world. He hadn’t even told her who the enemy was. Or Gohan. How would he? That would break their hearts. 

_I hope Little Me also kept his mouth shut to the twins._

He couldn’t involve any of them in this. This was his fight - he just needed Goku-san and Otou-san’s help. And right now, he needed to be here. To be present. 

“So they left no heirs?” Videl asked.

“Not even illegitimate ones. They just _had_ to be responsible with their dicks…”

“Not something most people complain about,” Trunks added.

“Oh, he speaks! Good, I was beginning to think I was seeing shit,” Chai smirked, “And yes - except now it might fall on my family somehow to produce a successor since we’re cousins. Like, my mother… or Gohan.”

“Oh... “ Videl looked at the other woman, then a smile spread across her face as she looked past her. “Oh honey, good! We’re about to eat.”

“Wonderful!” Gohan said, kissing his wife on the cheek, then his sister on the top of the head. “It smells great, you two.” He kissed Pan on the head as well then nodded at Trunks before taking his seat. “Trunks, I’m glad you’re visiting us again. I never asked last time what you were doing here.”

“Oh, um…” the saiya-jin sipped at his tea to buy a little time. Even when he saw Gohan at the party, he didn’t have the heart to tell him what was really going on. He revealed that humanity was down in numbers and that resources were few and far inbetween. That enemies kept coming, but he didn’t mention that there was a war right now.

 _Do I tell the truth? Chai already knows part of the truth. Would she give me away if I tried to lie?_

“I’m just visiting. It’s been a while and I just wanted to make sure things are fine here.”

A bowl of food was passed to him. He put a little on his plate then passed it to Gohan, hoping that the man wouldn’t think too hard on the answer. His stomach growled loudly, making the time traveler flush. It had been doing that everytime he smelled food. It was as if his body was eager to catch up on all of the meals he hadn’t filled up on in the last year. The only problem was that he felt guilty every time he tried to enjoy a meal.

It dawned on Trunks that playing house was part of the reason he came over here. He needed to think about something else. Did he really think Gohan was going to have advice for this kind of enemy? Or what to do with himself in the meantime? No, he was here on a subconscious desire to forget.

He saw Mai’s face, eyebrows furrowed as she thrusted the fuel into his hands. ‘Stop trying to save me and think! You’re the best chance we have!!’

He felt so ashamed!! He needed to focus!!

He glanced at Chai, smiling as she took a steaming plate from her sister-in-law. Suddenly, he saw her as she was 12 years ago - face rounder, hair a little shorter but just as wild. She was taking his hand and leading him away from Capsule Corps.

He could hear her laughing voice as she told him, ‘You need to know what it’s like to enjoy life.’

“Oh.. I mean. It’s really been years, Trunks. I’m a little surprised you didn’t visit sooner,” the demi said.

“Yeah,” the other man flushed. “I got really busy trying to get the people in my timeline back to civilization. I needed… I needed to come back though.”

“Well that makes sense. Sometimes we need a break to get some perspective and remember what we are fighting for.”

_Did he know?_

“Fighting?” Trunks asked the man.

“Well, yeah. Honestly, anything that opposes you is a fight. I know that sounds a little archaic,” Gohan chuckled. “If you are just surviving though, and don’t remember what life is about, how can you fight for it?"

"I suppose you're right," Trunks smiled. 

He thought about Mai and the feelings he’d begun to develop for her but she was dead now. His chest clenched… Still, as much as he would have wanted to, he wouldn’t have been able to give her his entire heart.

He looked over at Chai once more as she playfully fed Pan a bit of beef, pulling back her fingers dramatically. His world needed him, yes, but everyone he loved was gone from there. What use was it to ponder on a woman, wonderful as she was, that he’d barely begun to love when there was one here that he didn’t know how to stop wanting? Mai’s death hurt immensely but gods could he walk away from Chai again? 

He needed to save his world first. Save it, then fix this.

17 Years Earlier

“You sure it’s just a shot? Goku sounds terrified!!” Blue-Haired Launch said next to Chi-Chi.

Roshi, Krillin, Gohan, Chai, Launch and Chi-Chi all sat side-by-side outside of Goku’s room while he wailed from inside of it. Across from them was the boy Clove and the Ox King. Another shriek sounded from the other side of the wall, making several of them cringe. It sounded almost as bad as when Vegeta had been squeezing the saiya-jin while in Oozaru form. Chai’s tail was hopelessly fluffed until they left or her father stopped screaming. At least that wasn’t quite as visible as how Krillin and Gohan were both shaking like trees in the wind.

“It is,” Oka-san sighed. “Goku-sa’s always been such a big baby about needles.” She then turned to Gohan-kun who hadn’t stopped shaking, or resumed reading the textbook that his mother had given him off of the pile in her lap. In retrospect, Chai was quite glad she was ordered to the kingdom for the day rather than given some boring text on politics. Normally she loved reading but there were some subjects she’d love to avoid altogether. 

“Gohan, you need to get back to studying!!” Oka-san scolded.

He glanced up at her quickly then began flipping through the pages again to find his place. Satisfied, Chi-Chi then turned to the boy sided up next to the Ox-King. 

“Clove, was it?” 

“Yes ma’am,” the boy bowed.

Chai had to admit, she was impressed with the kid’s manners. She’d noticed anytime she went into the city that manners were not as important outside of her household, and any manners that were shown to her and her family within the Ox Kingdom felt like they were strictly because of who her family was. 

“Now why are you running around with Launch rather than in school? You can’t be any older than 12 and, why, she’s old enough to be your mother!!” Chi-Chi inquired with her arms over her chest.

Papa shrieked again, making everyone in the hallway jump.

“That is about the reason. Launch is the closest thing to a mother I have, and she’s… quite interesting.”

Interesting didn’t cover it. While at Muten Roshi-sama’s, Chai had learned about the woman’s two personalities, and how they switched the moment she sneezed. It was the consensus that both personalities were aware of each other, but they weren’t aware of what the other did exactly. The woman had also disclosed that she was slowly getting better at controlling the viciousness of the Blonde-Haired Launch, but stressful events made her volatile. Such as Ten’s death.

“Clove keeps me company,” Launch agreed. “He does help the other me plan heists, but then when I’m out, we just give the money away. Well, most of it.”

“ ‘Steal from the rich and give to the poor’ ,” Clove added.

“So should we dress you in green and call you Robin Hood?” the princess asked.

“Shall I call you Maid Marion?” the boy smirked.

“You shan't. I’m not the niece of the king. I’m his grand-daughter - the future queen.”

Clove bowed again, the smirk not leaving his face. “I’ll consider my chances slim, Your Highness.” 

Chai smiled cheekily. He was clever and bold - two traits she admired. She wondered how long he and Launch were going to stick nearby. They seemed to have a nomadic lifestyle, despite the woman’s relationship to Tenshinhan. Evidently it was a relationship with a lot of space given to each other. Still, if they stuck around for a while, maybe Clove and Chai could be friends. She really didn’t have any friends her own age, outside of Princess Mint but they rarely saw each other due to royal duties.

The doctor eventually called for both Krillin and Gohan to return for their shots. Unlike Otou-san, they did not have to clear the room in order to get enough nurses in there to keep them calm. They were sitting on their respective medical beds, family and friends scattered along the room, with the addition of Korin-sama and Yajirobe to the room. 

Papa was now in a more severe looking bed that resembled a cocoon, with only his head sticking out, which was still wrapped in every direction, completely covering his skull. Apparently, it was deemed necessary to keep him from picking at his bandages and the various needles dripping saline and other medicines into his veins. Still, it was a disturbing sight.

“I’ll see if I can grow some more senzu beans soon to speed your recovery, Goku,” the cat assured him.

“I’d appreciate that, Korin. Especially with the crushed legs and fractured spine.”

“Are there really dragon balls on Namek?” Launch asked.

“That’s the theory. Bulma-san is currently trying to figure out a way to get there. Supposedly, the ship Kami/Piccolo came in is somewhere in the mountains,” Krillin answered.

“And these dragon balls really grant wishes?” Clove asked.

“Any wish you want, but usually we use them to bring people back from the dead,” Otou-san replied perkily. Somehow, the man was always in such a cheerful mood. He looked over to his father-in-law and frowned. “Ox King, is there something wrong with your chest?”

Everyone looked over to the giant monarch as a glow emitted from Ojii-san’s breast pocket. The man startled at it then chuckled, fishing the orb out with two fingers. It looked to Chai like the giant holding the golden goose egg.

“Your Majesty,” a voice spoke from within. 

“Camphor,” Ojii-san greeted.

“We have a lead on the Hakuma girl. We think it may have to do with the Dragon Kingdom…” the steward reported. His voice sounded particularly grim.

“I see,” Ojii-san sighed then excused himself to the hallway to speak more privately.

 _That’s odd_ , Chai thought. Her grandpa normally didn’t hide royal engagements from them.

“We’ll probably go home soon,” Oka-san told the girl, who nodded her understanding. “We’ll be here early tomorrow,” Chi-Chi continued. She kissed her son on the head, then her husband.

“We’ll miss ya, Chi,” Otou-san said, warmly.

It was nightfall by the time they’d got to Mt. Paozu, and Mama made a quick dinner of Paozu tuna and vegetable stir fry. Ojii-san joined them, something that had been common in the past year but Chai wondered if that would continue once her brother and father came home from the hospital. She hoped so. 

It was an hour or so past when Chai had gone to bed but she couldn’t sleep. She was too busy catching pieces of conversation between her mother and grandpa.

“Dragon… Sheep… trafficking… “ the Ox King said.

“Trafficking… Violet…. Just a baby!!!” Chi-Chi cried.

“Keep… down,”

“Why…? … … Ox …”

“Treaty… both ways…”

“What … we do?”

“... us… recon… girl… ring…”

“That’s dangerous!!! Who would send their daughter!?”

_No one. Whatever this is. No one would send their daughter._

“Chi-Chi!!”

“Sorry… tell… dont… daughter… you know… Chai…”

The conversation petered off to where Chai couldn’t catch anymore but her curiosity was already picqued. The girl wasn’t too young to know what trafficking was. And she knew the Dragon and Sheep Kingdoms weren’t getting along. Again, she was filled with that familiar sense of duty. People were in trouble and perhaps she was useless against other saiya-jins but maybe not against fellow humans. 

The princess couldn’t wait to get back to the kingdom. She needed to get information, and she was sure she knew where to try to get it.

Chi-Chi insisted on dressing her daughter for the kingdom this morning, braiding the girl’s unruly hair and putting her in a pink dress with silver pins that the girl didn’t entirely hate. When she and her mother arrived at the hospital, Papa and Krillin were asleep but Gohan was nowhere to be found. 

“Stay here, Chai-chan, while I look for Gohan-chan.. Oh, he couldn’t have gotten too far,” Chi-Chi said in exasperation. She left the room quickly, trusting her daughter to stay in place with a book. 

_I hope she never learns to sense ki._

As soon as her mother was out of earshot, Chai got up quickly from the middle of the room, and headed for the elevator that led to the roof. Once up there, she slowly opened up the door and shook her head at the sight. Gohan-kun was nearby, alright. Nearby and using the railing as a balance beam.

“Gohan!!” she hissed.

He jumped slightly, making his sister’s heart stop for a moment but thankfully regained balance. He landed back on the metal railing, somewhat gracefully and stared over at Chai.

“What are you doing!??!? Mom’s gonna have a whole-ass cow!!!!”

He turned fully to her and glanced at the floor, which was a good three feet from where he was positioned. 

“Here goes,” he muttered then leapt in the air. 

Chai watched in awe as Otouto-san went nine feet high, flipped in the air three times, then pivoted his body to cartwheel twice as he came down and landed on two feet. He then tapped the ground and chuckled. “See?” he told her. “I feel better.”

 _I-I want to be able to do that._ Her mind flashed to Gohan-kun attempting to teach her to control her ki and how difficult that was, but Chai couldn’t let that stop her. There was at least one little girl that needed help. _Recon._ That was what her grandpa and mother called the kind of help that was needed. No armies. No politics. Subterfuge.

“Otouto-san, please, I won't say anything to Mom but teach me!!”

Before he could answer, there was the sound of feet clicking against concrete stairs. The two demi’s startled and sat up on a nearby bench as the same door that Chai came through swung open. Gohan buried his nose in the same book from yesterday while Chai began reciting off twelve current monarchs to herself and their immediate successors.

“Gohan!! What are you doing up here!!?” Chi-Chi scolded as she approached the two, fists at her side. “And Chai, I told you to stay in the room!”

“I thought I would get some fresh air,” Gohan said, looking up.

“I thought I would help look,” Chai paused long enough to explain.

“I was worried sick!!!” Chi-Chi shoved her face between the two. “Now you are both going back downstairs!!!” 

The two complied, Gohan forced to ride piggyback on Chi-Chi. She had insisted that his legs were still too weak to carry him, making Chai wonder if her mother willingly ignored the differences that their saiya-jin genes made. 

Although the woman had a tendency to fuss over her children, and Gohan did upset easily as a child, they both healed rather quickly. Even before Raditz came and turned their world upside-down, it was a small thing that Chai noticed. At the time, her Papa just laughed and assumed it was a quirk of his genetics because he also healed rapidly. He wasn’t wrong, but it was definitely more than just ‘a quirk’.

Downstairs, Bulma was now in the room, talking rapidly to Krillin and Papa about another spaceship she had found. Evidently Kami/Piccolo’s ship was still around.

“I still need to make some repairs but I think the ship will get us to Namek in less than a month’s time!!”

The woman looked much better than she had in days - her hair long and well-taken care of, and wearing jeans and a tee shirt with a little grease on them. She looked like she’d just been working on the ship, optimism driven by a new sense of purpose.

She wasn’t the only newer face this morning. Chai noted that Launch and Clove also made a return appearance. Launch looked a bit cleaner than she did the day beforehand, her red ribbon not as frayed and her yellow tank top not torn along the edges. Clove was dressed in a fresher looking green tee and brown pants. The color made his magenta eyes pop out even more in contrast.

“Congratulations, Bulma, you saved the day!!” Launch exclaimed.

“It was really Mr. Popo. He came and showed me where the ship was. All that’s left is for him to teach me enough Namekian to pilot it and a few of my amazing friends to go with,” Bulma smiled.

The room quickly went silent as everyone refused to face her. 

Chai opened her mouth but closed it before anything could come out. As much as she wanted to go, it would cut into her secret training with Roshi. And with her learning more about the kingdom. Plus, there was no way Oka-san would let her go. Besides, she needed to do something about the trafficking. She wasn’t sure what was going on, or if she could do something, but she couldn’t sit around like she didn’t know about it.

“Well not everyone volunteer at once!!” Bulma frowned.

“Hmm, two months alone with Bulma,” Roshi-sama mused. “Sign me up!!! It’ll be the trip of a lifetime!!”

_Ew. EW!!_

“You’d better watch yourself, Old Man!!” the heiress scolded.

“Well, I guess I’ll go. I still need to train though, in case we’re attacked again,” Krillin-Oji-san told her.

Gohan groaned in his bed. “Hey guys.. I umm…” he kept looking down at his sheets, scrunching them up in his hands. “Ummm….” his face shot up suddenly, “I want to go with Bulma and Krillin!!”

Oka-san leaned over his bed, eyes wide. Chai could tell that her mother was trying to reign in her ferocity. “Gohan.. Don’t tell me you want to leave your sister and I alone for two months…”

“You won't be alone. Dad will be here. I really want to go.”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing!!! You’d rather go with them than stay with me??”

“It’s not that, Oka-san. I just need to be a part of bringing back Piccolo-san.”

“Chi-Chi, let him go,” Papa said from the side.

“Ugh!! I can’t take this!!! Why couldn’t I have a normal family who eats dinner, talks about their day, watches tv and goes to bed!!?!” Chi-Chi screeched.

_We do that, Mom. You and I… I know you missed Gohan. I missed him too… but I’m still here. I’ve always been here._

Gohan had scooted himself closer to the edge of his bed and began undoing his bandages.

“Don’t be silly, Mama…” Chai said, weakly.

Chi-Chi then turned her rage on her daughter.

“I’m silly?!?!? I’m silly!!?? I’m not the one who wants to run around playing superhero!!!” 

“We should move…” Launch whispered to Krillin who was standing just behind the woman.

“Gods, Mama!!! It’s not like you didn’t know what you were getting when you married Papa!! How did you think your kids would turn out!?! And aren’t you preparing me to rule over a kingdom!!?!? Yet you won't let me train so that maybe I can defend that kingdom!?!?! Honestly!! You were a warrior, you married a warrior, you should have known you’d have warrior children!!!!!” Chai shouted back.

Chi-Chi began turning back and forth between her two children wildly, unsure of which one she was more angry with.

“That’s it!!!!!! I’m putting my foot down!!!!!! Gohan, you are not leaving us again after being gone a whole year!!!! And Chai, you will be a princess - not a warrior!!!!!! You are both children, so act like it!!!! You should both be enjoying childhood while you can!!! I am your mother!! And as your mother, you will listen to me!!!!! I carried each of you for nine months!!!! Do you know what I had to do to get your father to get me pregnant!!!???? Put food in my dress!!!!! BOTH TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“OKA-SAN!!!!! SHUT UP!!!!!!” Gohan shouted from the side. 

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. The only heat radiated from the five year old boy getting out of his hospital bed. Everyone watched on, so silent that Chai could hear the saline drips from the other rooms. She could still remember how the blast went through Piccolo. The smell of his flesh burning. How Gohan-kun cried out “Oji-san!”

“Bulma, you’ll let me go with you, won’t you?” Gohan-kun politely asked. 

Oba-san just smiled and nodded her head, encouragingly. 

“Mom, I’m sorry but my friends are all dead. Piccolo-san died trying to save me. Wouldn't it be better if I made that right? I’m sorry I yelled at you, but I have to try.”

“You have a brave son,” Clove spoke from the wall. “I agree with Gohan. If it’s possible to do something for others, then you should.”

Chi-Chi whipped around and pointed her finger at the boy. “You have no room in this!! We just met you!! And you rob banks and stores!! What could a delinquent possibly have to say!?!?”

“Launch and I rob banks yes, and large corporations that don’t care about people. We take their dirty money and we give it to people that need money. For food, shelter, clothes, education. Is that not a worthy endeavor?” Clove asked.

“I think it is, as long as you don’t rob me,” Bulma replied. “And besides, Chi-Chi, we’ve known Launch a long time and always known she was a criminal.”

“Hhhh!! Only half of her is a criminal. The other half is a sweet girl that loves to cook.” Chi-Chi argued.

“That may be true,” Launch interjected. “But I don’t try to stop my other self and I don’t return the money. I’m the side that gives it away.”

“That’s right.” Bulma-oba-san agreed. “People are complicated, and Chi-Chi, just because Gohan-kun wants to be a hero doesn’t mean he’s not your little boy. I promise I’ll keep an eye on him, and Krillin will be there too.” She then turned to Gohan-kun. “Meet me in ten days.”

Gohan brightened up at that and nodded eagerly to Bulma. That left Chai ten days to see if maybe she could get any training out of her brother. Going to Roshi’s was fine and well, but an hour a week wasn’t going to cut it. And if she was going to do anything about what she overheard the night before, she’d need whatever training she could get. There might be a real fight - one no one could save her from because no one would know.

It excited her in a way she wasn’t used to. Chai could feel the blood as it rushed through her veins and her heart pumped erratically. Her tail swished behind her and a grin etched itself onto her face.

She didn’t visit Roshi’s Island or the Ox Kingdom. They went back to Mt. Paozu a few hours later, and continued their normal existence of chores, Chi-Chi involving Chai in the cooking (it was one of the girl’s few requests that her mother eagerly complied with), dinner, studying, then bed.The whole time, however, Chai couldn’t get that restlessness to go away. She was in a hurry to train, to learn to fight, to find out what was going on, and do something about it. She was sure whatever it was would involve danger. As she played out in her head herself being a hero, and fighting off the Dragon Kingdom from the Sheep Kingdom, Chai saw 3 am before she fell asleep.

She was looking in a mirror, but what she saw in her reflection didn’t look quite like her. For one, Chai was dressed in a red and gold cheongsam whereas her reflection wore a chest plate very similar to what Vegeta wore with just a red bodysuit underneath, revealing most of her body. Her hair was still wild and long, actually her reflection had wilder hair and instead of dark, her eyes were red and set above a smirk that resembled the one her father wore during his fight yesterday. The most startling difference, however, was how her face had morphed, giving her a set of fangs from top to bottom, her nostrils flared so that her face more resembled a snout and her ears became pointed on the ends. 

“Wake up, little saiya-jin. Wake up!!” her reflection’s voice rasped.


	11. Just Listen to the Noises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lemon. You have been warned.  
> It's Kinkober and I'm paying most attention to Day 10: Edging and kind of playing with that definition.
> 
> Chai tries to find some relief as the realities around her constantly call at her attention.
> 
> Chibi Chai continues to receive training and dig for more answers about the Dragon Kingdom.
> 
> I've never written a lemon so I hope you guys enjoy. Again, please rate and review.

Chai woke with a gasp and a small moan of disappointment. She shouldn’t have been disappointed. In fact, she shouldn’t have even been dreaming of him. The dream was so real… and so good. 

The woman could feel the moisture pool between her legs and she flushed slightly in embarrassment. In her sister-in-law’s house, in the guest bedroom. She hoped her brother wouldn’t be able to smell it, and as long as she kept her door closed, maybe he wouldn’t.

_Even if he did, Gohan probably wouldn’t say anything. It’d be too awkward._

And perhaps then finishing would be prudent, the devious part of her mind suggested. Chai slowly ran her fingertips over down the skin of her stomach. It is a good way to relax.

She reached down, brushing over the little patch of hair and slowly ran her two fingers along either side of her bud, catching breath in her throat as she did. Chai realized it had been a long time since she last did this, and for good reason. He was always the subject.

Chai reached even further down, rubbing against her own wet slit as she let herself go back into the dream.

_She had been in the forest. It was slightly humid and the sun was going down. Her and Trunks-sa were sparring but for some reason, she didn’t have her sai while his sword was still strapped to his back. Sheathed yes, but he could pull it out at any moment._

_She had lost her footing and tripped, making it all too easy for him to pin her to the ground - hands on her arms and his legs on either side of her hips, his weight pressed to hers. She had thought she felt something else pressed to her core._

In Chai’s own memories though, she vividly knew how that felt. She palmed at her clit while inserting the tips of her fingers inside, creating two rubbing motions that made her moan slightly. Chai breathed heavily as her other hand snaked its way under her shirt. Her tail also snaked under, gently brushing against the other pert nipple.

_‘You win,’ she cheekily told him._

_Trunks chuckled slightly. 'And what a prize I won.’_

_The female saiya-jin startled at this, then felt her eyes widen as he reached down and kissed her hard, tongue sliding against her own. She couldn’t help it - she moaned in his mouth, lips moving in tune with his as her hips -_

Chai raised her hips to give herself better access. She dipped her fingers even deeper and let out a throaty moan. She couldn’t believe how wet she was getting. How wet he still made her. He couldn’t know this. Couldn’t know she still wanted him so much. Chai squeezed her breast gently, kneading at the flesh as she worked her core. She could feel the tightness starting in her stomach.

_Her hips grinded against him, her tail slowly unraveling, and she could feel his body react. Chai needed more though. More touch, more friction. She pushed him harder to her with her furry appendage. He groaned, nipping her bottom lip, then pulled back. The queen gasped at the sudden separation, then threw her back and moaned as Trunks grinded against her._

_"Still so eager," he smirked._

Chai palmed her clit harder, then began a smooth circular motion with her fingers. She felt her body rut against her own hand and moaned louder as she got closer, the wetness coating her fingers as she went a little deeper and felt at her own sensitive flesh.

_Trunks looked down at her with a dark glint then suddenly pulled his sword from his back. With precision, he cut open the shirt Chai was wearing. He did it slowly, the tearing of the fabric audible to their saiya-jin ears as the cool metal barely grazed her flesh. He didn’t cut her - Chai knew he wouldn’t - but the possibility that he might excited her._

_He used the pointed tip to shove away the ruined fabric. For a moment, it dug into her skin as she breathed and Chai had to bit back a moan. The prince then carefully lifted the middle of her bra with the sharp edge until it split, baring her chest to the night air. Trunks kept his weapon in hand, running its edge along the younger demis skin from her throat to the top of her jeans. The cool sensation was followed by a warm, calloused hand over that same trail, fingers reaching out to caress her scars._

“Touch me,” Chai moaned to the empty room, gripping her breast a little harder and running a finger over the nipple. “Kiss me.”

 _He adeptly pushed his sword under her, the flat side to her bare back. Her beast growled it’s approval. It was so dangerous yet she trusted him completely. He pulled her to him using only his sword. Chai didn't wait this time. She grabbed him, one hand buried in his soft hair and pulled his lips to hers. He kissed her back with more feeling than last time, pushing the rest of the shirt off of her shoulders. Trunks ran his sword and hand down Chai’s back, just as he did her front. She shuddered against his mouth as her own hands pulled at his shirt, wanting to feel his skin as well. It had been so long._

She was getting so close. Chai dipped her fingers in completely, arching at her own intrusion. Her other hand abandoned her breast in order to rub against her sensitive bud with more attention. She licked her lips as moans escaped from in between. So close. Gods. Kami, she needed to get fucked soon…

_His flesh was so warm and still rippled with firm muscle, even if he had lost weight over the years. She could feel new scars over his chest and stomach, which both turned her on and pained her. Chai pulled the warrior's shirt off completely and pressed her chest to his._

_There was a clatter as Trunks dropped his sword next to him, and lifted Chai to his lap, not pulling away once. Kisses trailed from her mouth to her ear where Trunks nibbled on the tender flesh. He grabbed a handful of black hair, holding Chai’s head where he wanted it as he sucked on the base of her neck, a clear intent to mark her. Gods, no one was like this with her. No one could make her give up control._

_‘Trunks,’ she moaned, running her fingers down his back._

_There was the sound of tearing fabric again as his sword now opened up her pants from the waistband down, showing off creamy skin and muscular thigh. A moment later he did the same to the other side, then easily sliced her panties open._

“Fuck,” Chai moaned. He’d actually never done that before. But Kami it was hot. She pressed harder to herself and let out a throaty groan. Almost there. 

_‘Do you want this?' he whispered in her ear, hand pulling aside the rest of her clothes. She was now fully naked for the young prince, his hands running along the curve of her butt painstakingly slow. 'Do you want me inside you?'_

Almost. Gods. She was about to come undone.

_"Please," she whimpered._

_Trunks suddenly plunged two of his fingers into her, thumb running along her swollen nub, making the queen moan and rut against him. She dug her nails into his flesh, marking him in her own way. Yes, she still wanted this._

She pressed even harder. She was there. Just about. 

_‘Say you’re mine, Chai.'_

“Yes! I… I-!!”

“Your Majesty, do you have a moment?”

_You’re fucking kidding me._

The queen sighed and clicked her tongue. The moment now entirely ruined. She already felt her tongue languish for a drink. _Thank Kami he didn’t hear anything._ The way those balls work, you had to project your presence into it to be seen and heard. 

She covered herself and picked up the orb, attempting to hide her irritation.

“Basil, I hope this is good news.”

He looked a little better than the day before yesterday. At least his hair was no longer charred, though his ponytail seemed shorter than she remembered.

“Depends on your definition, ma’am. I have compiled a list of the dead. Those within the kingdom have been notified, however, there are those with loved ones outside of the kingdom. I assumed you wanted to deal with that personally.”

“You assumed correctly,” Chai sighed. “How long is the second list?”

“About 27 with family outside of the kingdom.”

“That’s shorter than I expected.”

“There were -ahem- several dead that we could not identify…”

“Several? I need a more specific number than that,” 

“200,” Basil-san said, quickly.

“That’s…”

“Unacceptable, I know.”

Chai kept a hand to the sheet that covered her and reached into the bedside drawer for a pen and… she supposed the back of a few envelopes would have to do. She couldn’t help the agitated flick of her tail. 

“Go ahead and give me info for the families… skip Clove-san… I know where to find his family,” the queen muttered. 

Visiting the various families was worse than the war itself. It always was. Some didn’t speak as she gave her condolences, some shared things like young Patti-chan wanted to be a doctor after her time as a field medic.

_‘It’s too bad that Horse soldier took her head so she couldn’t help your soldiers’_

_‘Too bad doesn’t cover it, Mrs. Fendu.’_

When Chai visited the sister of an old veteran who wanted one last hurrah, she told her that it was pointless to visit his children because they hadn’t spoken to him in 18 years.

_‘My, dear, you were what? 10? Still just a princess… 10… Vero would sometimes see his oldest here when she was about 10. Back then, their mother wasn’t so horrible - trying to keep the kids from him.. The three of us would go fishing and just for his little girl, he’d throw the fish back every time.’_

_‘That’s lovely. Vero-san was such a fierce man - it’s good to know he had some softness. I’m so sorry Anoua-san’_

Some blamed her. Some just slammed the door in her face. Some invited her in for tea, coffee, liquor, milk, -whatever- and told her that it wasn’t her fault. Those were the worst. 

Chai touched down in front of the dojo dressed all in black. This was her last stop. It was chilly high up in the mountains where the Tien-Shin Style Dojo was located. Several young men with shaved heads stopped and bowed at her, no doubt a bit of their master’s teaching. Ten was always a bit formal. 

The three-eyed master stood tall before his students, watching carefully as they practiced their ka-ta’s. Chai walked quietly along the side, doing her best not to disturb. She noted his third eye glance in her direction then returned to face forward with the other two. Ten, however, did not move.

“Son Chai,” he said quietly as she approached him. “What brings you so far west?”

“Bad news I’m afraid. Where might I find your tempestuous wife?” 

“Is it Clove?” Ten frowned.

“Yes,” Chai nearly whispered.

“She is tending the garden. If you follow the halls all the way east you’ll find her.”

The dojo wasn’t terribly big, Chai found. She only passed a few rooms before she found herself back outside where Launch knelt among carnations, goldenrod, belladonna, and dandelions. 

“Can ya believe the ignorance of some people?” the Blonde form said, gesturing at a yellow bud. “They think dandelions are just weeds. Just invasive, but they’re really useful for medicine and stuff. My nicer side cooks with them sometimes.”

“I’m surprised to find you _out_ here. I thought this would be more Blue’s thing.”

“Heh. It is. But.. I don’t know.. Keeps me outta trouble when I can’t run my truck. And staying outta trouble keeps Ten close to me.”

Chai walked slowly towards the woman and crouched down there with her. She wouldn’t look at Launch, but kept staring at a blue flower. Several times, the queen turned over the small box within her pocket. 

_This is the right thing to do._

She pulled the tiny box with the ring, intended for herself, and offered it to the blonde. Chai still couldn’t look at her, instead staring at the velvet container as she spoke. 

“I hope you can continue to stay out of trouble,” she said quietly. Gods, she would need a drink after this.

Launch took the box but didn’t say anything. Instead, she trembled violently, biting her lip and shaking her head. Chai felt Ten’s energy appear nearby. For such a large man, he took surprisingly gentle steps as he went to his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“There was a very large battle. If I knew how bad… I.. I didn’t think he’d fall…”

“Chai, I’m not an idiot! I married a fighter and my - Clove - came up in your army… This kind of stuff… it’s… it happens, okay!!?”

“Will there be any services?” Ten asked calmly.

Chai closed her eyes. She hadn’t even thought that far… 

“I’ll let you know the details,” she said as she stood.

Ten nodded. “Thank you, Chai.”

“Ye-yeah.. Thanks,” Launch agreed.

Chai bowed to the two, her eyes filling with tears but she wouldn’t cry. Not here. 

“I’m so sorry,” she then turned. Once the demi got a few yards away, Launch called out to her again.

“What would you have said!? Don’t lie!!”

Chai stopped, staring at the sun as it moved ever so slowly in the sky. Not a cloud marred it. 

“I don’t know… but I would have considered it… I.. I think I could have…” 

Chai took off into the sky. She hoped they would understand. She’d been flying at top speed for ten minutes before wondering why her cheeks were horribly cold and her eyes stung. _Of course._ She shook her head and kept going until she reached Gohan’s. She hoped no one was home. 

For once, she got her wish. There was a note on the fridge that Videl and Pan went grocery shopping. Gohan, of course, was still at the school teaching for another few hours. 

Chai went silently to the bathroom and striped off her clothing without a thought then turned the shower on very hot. No matter that it would likely make her tail fluff. Tears were still coming down her cheeks every now and then. She’d cry for a few minutes then settle down. A memory from earlier in the day would then enter her mind again and she’d begin sniffling and bawling once more. Once the shower began to steam the room, she got in and sat at the bottom of the top, letting the spray wash over her. If she could ignore the shuddering in her body, then she wouldn’t have to know when she began crying again.

Part of her kind of wished someone was home. Or that she had gone to Mt. Paozu instead. So she could at least be near someone willing to call her on her shit and make her admit that she wasn’t okay. 

She sat there and tried to remember what it felt like the last time someone held her.. Oh yeah… Not so long ago…

She pressed her head against the shower wall behind her. 

_We’re not going there._

It had already begun though. Coupled with the dream she’d had the night before, Chai could vividly see blue eyes and feel warm skin being held against her. 

_‘Come here.’_

_Mate. My mate_ , her beast purred and Chai let it have it’s way for now.

The queen shook her head and knelt under the water with her head bowed. She closed her eyes and could feel the rustle of sheets and his firm body moving against hers as they kissed and nipped along each other’s bodies so many years ago. They knew things would end but pretended they wouldn’t. They knew the whole world might end in a few days but fuck it. Or maybe not ‘fuck it’ but it increased their desperation to be near each other. 

Chai licked her lips and focused on these memories. Tried hard to remember what his lips felt like against her throat, or how his fingertips would press against her most sensitive parts, demanding her release.

_‘Cum for me, Princess.’_

The queen let out a soft moan. Part of her brain felt so wrong. Why should she seek pleasure now? But Chai just wanted a break.. Just a moment to feel something else… even if it would hurt later.

She could remember how he held her to him, his touch on her breasts, stomach and core gentle but his grasp across her shoulders possessive as tongue and teeth kneaded her neck, and long lavender hair tickled her back. How it made her beast scream to be claimed.

_‘Tell me if I’m too rough.’_

Chai pressed against her clit again, starting what she never finished. She tried to remember and imitate the way he used to touch her back when she’d never been touched before. The demi gasped at her own attempts. It wasn’t the same but it was still good as wetness coated her fingers.

_'I'll never hurt you.'_

She could feel his breathe against her skin as he whispered to her. Even when he simply breathed, it gave her goosebumps to feel his own ragged breathing match her own as he fingered her, slowly going from one to two and increasing his pace in accordance to her moans. 

_'I'll never let anything hurt you.'_

Chai didn't know which was better: his touch or his promises. She now added three fingers inside herself and that almost felt as good as she remembered. She grabbed her breast and squeezed, gently bouncing against her own hand. She was missing something though. 

Chai moved the hand on her breast to her butt and rubbed her rear against it. If she tried hard enough, she could feel her shock at his hardness being pressed against her. How he grinded against her ass in time with the ministrations of his hand. 

_'Feel that, Princess? Feel how much I want you?'_

“Yes,” Chai moaned, moving faster inside herself. She replaced the hand on her ass with her tail, and began to rub on her clit inside, stimulating herself completely. That warmth and tightness came back to her quickly. She focused on the memories, the boldness she felt when she grabbed his thighs behind her to get even closer and grinded against him in return. The throaty groan he released in surprise and how that made her wetter in response. The feel of his lips soft against her neck as he murmured her name.

_‘Cum for me, my dear Prince.’ she had told him. ‘I want to feel you cum against me,’_

_‘Heh, you first, Princess.’_

It took all four fingers to mimic what his three fingers suddenly inside her felt like. She began rubbing her clit in circles and let out a loud moan. Thank the gods no one was home. And just like in her memory, Chai was seconds from it now. Warmth trickled down her thighs as she moaned and rutted herself. Seconds from sweet -

The air stilled suddenly as a thick, oozing power surged up a few blocks over. Her stomach felt hollow as she felt it out and remembered… 

Chai turned off the shower and stepped out, using ki to dry herself completely before stepping back into her clothes and taking to the sky once more. It didn’t surprise her to see all of the other fighters there, sans Tenshinhan, standing outside of the gates of Mr. Satan’s mansion as though they were a personal guard. The queen landed between Piccolo-san and Tsuchi-chan. She realized that she didn’t have her sai on her, but against this enemy, they did absolutely no good before. Inside, Majin Buu’s power steadily increased.

Beside her, Tsuchi trembled. It was just enough for her sister to notice.

“Tsu-chan,” Chai whispered.

“I-I don’t wanna die again…”

“You’re not going to. None of us are gonna die again,”

“How many of you died last time?” Future Trunks asked.

No one spoke for a moment, then suddenly Piccolo spoke up.

“Everyone died. Everyone on Earth. Eventually Goku and Vegeta were brought back to life, and so everyone except for them, Dende, and Hercule. ”

“Tch... Only because Kakkarot grabbed them…” Vegeta-san spoke up

“Wasn’t that a good thing though?” Krillin-san asked, “I mean, Dende made it possible to bring back the people of Earth and Hercule made it possible to get the energy for the Spirit Bomb.”

Vegeta-san shook. “What if the Spirit Bomb didn’t work? We would have been stuck on the Kai’s planet with that Namekian child and that bumbling idiot who is now failing to keep his fat monster in check!!” 

“Vegeta…” Otou-san replied. They were staring hard at each other, and Chai wasn’t sure why. She didn’t see what had happened after she had died and gone to Otherworld. She had been too busy looking for her younger siblings.

“So what if that blob goes berserk again!?!? And destroys the whole Earth again!!!? Are you going to choose those imbeciles over our sons again!?!??!?!”

 _What?!!?_

“Papa?” Chai looked over at her father who stared ahead at the Satan mansion.

“Daddy, is that true?” Goten-kun asked. “You chose Mr. Satan and Dende over, Oni-san, Trunks-kun, and me?”

“Goten, it wasn’t like that,” Otou-san said, gently. “I meant to grab Dende, sure, because of the Dragonballs and I grabbed Hercule because he was right there. We did bring you all back to life.”

Goten just nodded his head and looked towards Satan mansion. The look on his face, however, gave everything away. How betrayed he felt. Chai was hoping her dad was at least there for the twins more than herself and Gohan-kun but that didn’t seem to be the case. _Damn you, Papa…_ That power was growing even higher, and now Buu’s shrill voice could be heard though no one could make out what he was saying.

“Well, what about you, Vegeta?” Yamcha said, darkly. “Didn’t you let Babidi possess you so that you would have the power to challenge Goku? I mean that was the whole reason he even came to be.”

The look Vegeta gave Yamcha would have killed the Earthling ten times over if the saiya-jin possessed such an ability. This was something most of their friends and family knew about, except for Vegeta’s son… sons...

“You _let_ Babidi possess you!?” Future Trunks asked. He had turned and looked hard at his father in disgust. “Just to challenge Goku-san. For your goddamn pride. It’s always your pride that’s so important, isn’t it?”

Vegeta looked Mirai in the eyes when he answered. “It was foolish and selfish… I sacrificed myself afterwards…”

The time traveler’s eyes softened just slightly but his doppelganger was shaking and sparking energy all over.

“So… so you died… to make up for a dumb mistake… I thought… I thought you sacrificed yourself because…. Because you…” he then turned to his father. “And it didn’t even work… you died and… He ate everyone!!! He ate Chai!!! He ate Goten!!! He ate Tsuchi!! He ate me!! … HE ATE MOM!!!!!!!!!”

“BUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Hercule rushed out of his mansion, and hid behind Papa as Buu’s power surged tremendously high, causing the fighters to have to brace themselves as the power blasted in every direction.

“Get ready!!!!” Piccolo-san roared over the sheer energy.

There was a bright pink light emanating from inside that blinded Chai for just a moment. When her sight recovered and the power faded off, she couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Her mouth fell open and she staggered forward. There was no longer a mansion inside that gate but a chocolate cake that fit the exact dimensions of Hercule’s residence. On top of it was Majin Buu, happily chomping away at Hercule’s hershey house. 

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” the queen said. She couldn’t unsee the horrors of five years ago. Everyone being turned into candies, cakes, chocolates, and other confections. 

“Aw Buu?!!? Where are we supposed to live?!?!?” Hercule shouted up.

The pink blob paused and stared down at the “Champ” with chocolate on his cheeks. “BUU. HAVE. CAKE.” Then immediately went back to work.

“Aww… Oh!!” Hercule then rushed to Gohan-kun. “Gohan!!! Could I stay with you and Videl and Panny!?!” 

“Ye-yeah,” Gohan said. “But, what about Buu?” 

“Oh, he just got grumpy about some cake. He wont be a problem.”

Vegeta then seized the man by his shirt. “YOU MEAN WE CAME HERE BECAUSE YOUR PET GOT THE MUNCHIES!!!!?!?!?!!!”

Chai felt her stomach turn even more. _Fuck all of this._ She took off and flew until she found herself in the middle of the Wastelands. 

“I can’t live with that idiot…” she said to the air that blew around her. She was still midair. “Papa… why?” She knew the decision was the right one, but she couldn’t help but wonder if her dad at least had the gut reaction to grab his sons. Vegeta, at least, had that. Vegeta, at least, seemed bothered by his mistakes and her dad… Chai wasn’t sure. Everything rolled off of his back disturbingly easy.

“He does his best, Chai-chan,” Gohan called to her. He wasn’t alone.

“Ototou-san, I love your loyalty to family but let me be angry.”

“One-san, you’re kind of scary when you’re angry. Your eyes bug out, your tail puffs like a squirrel, and you scare the dinos away,” Goten-kun replied.

"Right? Chai-san doesn't need the full moon to turn into a giant ape," Trunks-kun joined in.

"You boys better fuse before I get over there," Chai shouted over her shoulder.

Everyone laughed as Chai rolled her eyes, and turned to find that all of the demi’s were flying in the air with her. “Seriously?!”

“Yeah, it’s the “Our Dads Suck” Convention,” Trunks-kun called over. 

“Except your old man is probably gonna sulk in the Gravity Room until dinner,” Tsuchi-chan replied. “I’m surprised ours realizes what he did.”

“Hey, guys, you’re not being fair,” Gohan chided as Chai slowly made her way closer.

“We know he chose to stay dead, Oni-san!!” Goten-kun cried. “Rather than be there to raise Tsuchi and me.”

“You guys can stay with me tonight if you’d like,” Gohan offered.

“Nah/No thank you,” the twins answered, simultaneously while both Trunks’ side glanced at each other before the older answered, “Thanks Gohan-san but we’ll pass.”

“I better get my shit from your place and head home. Hopefully Otou-san isn’t there right now,” Chai mentioned, before turning to the twins. “Where are you two going?”

“I’m going to see if I can sleepover at Marron’s. We haven’t played in a while,” Tsu-chan answered.

“Trunks-kun, you think I can stay at your place? I know you wanna get away from your dad too but your house is bigger than mine,” Goten-kun asked.

“Yeah… he’ll probably avoid me for a few days now anyways,” Chibi Trunks answered.

Chai nodded her understanding and began flying back to Gohan’s house with her brother.

“Chai-chan,” Mirai Trunks called to her. “You could stay too, if you wanted.” 

The demi smiled before turning to him. Her chest ached at the offer and she wished that it didn’t. “Thank you, Trunks-sa.” 

Chai had quickly gathered her things and gone to her parents house with botha rushed apology to Videl and no word to her mother, who simply huffed at her daughter’s return but didn’t turn her away. 

She had the room to herself.

She could still smell his scent, and her inner beast purred at the smell. 

No. We’re not going to think about him again, she told herself, putting her few clothes back into the top drawer. She pushed down on the stacks and felt something… oh yeah…

Chai pulled out the old jacket before she could stop herself, the faded Capsule Corps logo still on the shoulder. It was ripped and torn from the first time he went into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. She brought the article to her face and breathed deep. Her beast purred even louder at how his mixed scent of desert rain and musk still lingered.

The Ox Queen gave herself permission to go to the bed with that piece of clothing. She was glad that their were two beds in the room. This one would be hers. She’d also have to wash the sheets the next morning. It’ll be worth it, her mind deviously decided.

_Besides, I never finished._

She stripped to just her tank top and underwear, the jacket on her pillow next to her. Chai hiked her knees up and held the fabric to her nose, letting the smell bring other memories to the surface. She rubbed on herself, not surprised that she was already wet. Her body wanted to finish so bad. Her body wanted _him_ but that was … well… not to be.

Chai focused her pressure gently on her clit as she chose a memory.

“Fuck… that’s so good,” she whispered. Her hips jerked as she bit her lip.

“Just like that... “ she pressed a little harder, making soft circles. “Oh… yes…”

Wetness spread over her fingers, between them as she slowly dipped into herself and rubbed more of that wetness over her clit. Her eyes were tightly closed as her body moved in time with her hand. 

“Gods… your tongue is so good…” she moaned. She used the soft side of her fingers to rub inside of herself with a mixture of flicks and fuller caresses, whimpering and moaning as quietly as she could. That tightness returned even quicker.

Chai grabbed a handful of her own hair and rutted against her hand even harder as she coated her clit in more of her own nectar, rubbing it sweetly as she lubricated her body.

“Please… please… so.. Close.”

She rubbed inside of herself, letting her palm rest just barely on her soft bud and stimulated both parts simultaneously. Her tail grabbed the jacket and rubbed his scent over her. She and her inner beast wanted to be completely scent marked by him, pleased by him, made to -

“AHHH!!!” Chai cried out before clamping one hand to her mouth. She continued her muffled moan as she worked her clit to drain her body dry. Cum covered her hand, splattered on her thighs, and dripped from her pussy as Chai finally dropped her body to the mattress, her chest heaving. 

She barely remembered to cover herself back up when her father appeared in her room, two fingers to his forehead. 

“Chai what…”

She threw everything she could reach at him, screaming her lungs out. If not, she would have blasted the man.

“PAPA GET OUT!!!!!!!!!”

17 Years Earlier

“Oka-san can’t find out, sissy,” Gohan-kun reiterated for the fifth time.

“I know, Gohan. I know.”

The forest was foggy late at night. It helped their cover as they escaped from the house, as did the tall trees. The fallen autumnal leaves were beautiful and Chai loved their crunch under her heels as she walked. 

Once they got a good mile from the house, brother and sister got into stance. It was the third time this week that they went into the forest and the night before Gohan-kun, Krillin-oji-san, and Bulma-oban went into space. Every other night, the siblings went into the forest for Gohan to train his sister, and on the opposite nights he went by himself in order to continue with his own training. Chai understood the nights he left her behind and simply appreciated him taking the time to train her the few nights he had. She hadn’t been back to Roshi’s yet (or the kingdom, for that matter) and her training with Gohan-kun was fruitful.

“Good,” he said. “You remembered to square your shoulders and keep your knees bent. Do you remember how to defend okay?”

“Yes,” Chai affirmed, standing with her knees shoulder length apart and one arm lowered to her side and the other raised slightly in front of her in a fist. Gohan, on the other hand, didn’t have his arms up like Chai did, but instead loose at his side.

“Here I come!” Otouto-san shouted.

Chai barely had time to register what he said as Gohan struck first at her chest then at her stomach, Chai catching both in her open palms. It was painful and she knew her brother was holding back. Still, she gritted her teeth but did not complain. An enemy wouldn’t hold back. She learned that firsthand. He went to strike towards her ribs and she blocked with her forearm.

They went on like this for some time; Gohan delivering a strike of sorts, or a kick even, and Chai barely catching or blocking in time. She had dodged a few blows but not much else. 

Her brother lept in the air and went to come down from overhead. Chai couldn’t see him at first, the fog and trees aiding in his stealth, until he was a foot from her and coming down quickly. Chai threw her forearm up and evaded the kick but he knocked her to the ground regardless. She rolled and got to her feet in time to cross her arms in front of her face as Gohan came at her again. He was relentless and a part of her loved it. Loved the rush as she defended strike after strike. Is this what Papa felt?

“Is that all you have, sissy?” 

Her tail tensed at his comment as she knocked away three more aimed in a row: face, chest, gut.

“Wha-what do you mean!?”

“You wont get anywhere if you don’t hit me back!!”

Chai dodged one punch and attempted to throw one of her own which Gohan caught near his cheek. _URGH!!!!_ The girl’s tail whipped at her side then she quickly retracted it. Need to keep an eye on that, she thought, remembering how helpless she felt when Nappa grabbed her appendage. While distracted Gohan took advantage and kicked Chai just above the groin, making the girl double over for a moment before weakly blocking another kick to her side. 

She leaned forward to grab his leg but Gohan swung his other leg upward and smashed his foot into her chest. Or so he meant to.

“Yow!!!!!!” Chai cried out, holding the side of her face as Gohan-kun immediately backed off. “Gohan!!!!! If you leave a mark, mom will know!!!!”

“Sorry,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “I guess I got carried away. I want you to be strong.”

“Ugh.” Chai shook her head and felt her cheek again. The area burned but nothing seemed broken, at least. 

“I think it’s already been an hour or so,” Gohan observed, looking up at the sky. 

They had decided that anymore than an hour of training and they wouldn’t be able to sleep and Oka-san would know something was up. Or she’d use that as an excuse to keep Otouto-san from going to Namek. 

“Do 100 push ups and we’ll head back.”

As Chai dropped to push up position, Gohan flipped onto his hands, making sure to keep his pace with hers. The girl sighed. It would be a long time before they were on the same level. Maybe never.

The next morning, the siblings were woken by their mother screaming.

“Chai!!! What happened to you!!?!??!? I can’t take you to your father like this!!! He’ll think I’ve been beating you!!!!”

“Wha???” the girl slowly opened her eyes, rubbing her face. Ow, oh that was her cheek. Oh yeah… her cheek.

Chi-Chi was directly in front of her, ripping the blanket down and examining her daughter for more phantom bruises. 

“Oh… uhh… you didn’t hear me fall in the shower last night?” Chai asked as her mother lifted one leg, turning it this way and that in inspection.

“What did you fall into?? Did you crack your cheek on the corner of the sink?! Oh my baby!!!!”

“How did ya know?”

Chi-Chi then grabbed the girl’s cheek and stared at the bruise. Chai wondered how bad it looked. “Oh, I don’t think it’ll be permanent.” She then grabbed Chai’s face in both hands and squeezed it. “We can’t have anything marring your pretty face!!!”

“Oh!! That hurts!! Okay Mama!!! Let go, please!!!”

She squeezed harder and Chai swore her cheek must have bruised more. 

“Promise me you’ll be more careful!! These princes are finicky!!”

“Ow!!!! Mama!!!!” Chi-Chi finally let go at her daughter’s relief, who began to get out of bed. “What if I don’t want to marry? Do I have to??”

“Yes, and we have another year before you start meeting with the princes.” Her mother then began for the door to leave. “Get into something nice. You’ll spend part of the day at the kingdom.”

The princess quickly picked out a simple dress that was comfortable but should have been enough to please her mother, with black floral brocades cascading down the pale pink skirt. The visit with her father was quick and mostly routine. They did see that he got to come out of the coffin-like bed, as his spine healed quicker than they had expected before Chi-Chi rushed them over to Turtle Island to meet Bulma. 

“I hate my hair,” Gohan-kun whispered in the backseat of the car. That morning, Mama had cut and smoothed Gohan’s hair so that it hung by his ears. Amazingly it made him resemble her quite a bit.

“If Bulma-oba-san has a perm, you guys can be the Three Stooges,” Chai joked. 

Turtle Island came into view, as well as a gigantic white spaceship that stood on four legs and sort of reminded Chai of a jelly bean. Although she had an adventure of her own to look forward to, she was a bit jealous that her brother was going into space. And with Oba-san!! 

Mama stopped the car a few feet from the spaceship and Oji-san got out, lugging all of the luggage Oka-san packed for Gohan to take with. She had evidently done this quite early in the morning while she and her brother were sleeping off their middle of the night training session. 

Chai and her mother got out of the car next, but Gohan-kun stayed put, staring down at the school boy shorts their mom made him wear. The girl was so glad that she was old enough to dress herself now (by her mother’s standards). _Just five more years, Gohan, and she’ll stop dressing you._

“Come on, Gohan! Everyone’s waiting for you,” Chi-Chi scolded.

He got out miserably, blushing and looking away. 

“Oh man, and I was worried about a space suit,” Krillin-oji-san laughed. “At least I don’t have to wear a little uniform.”

“Yeah… Dad thought it was pretty funny too,” Gohan replied sheepishly.

“Mama.. what is all of this stuff?” Chai asked, tapping the luggage with her foot. There were five bags, plus one raggedy box. It had already been in the car when they got in so she didn’t see just how much their mother packed. 

“Hmmm… his underwear, toothbrush, sleeping mask, coloring books, snacks, medicine, full dinner set -”

“Chi-Chi I’m sorry, but I’d love to get going!! This spacesuit is very heavy,” Bulma-oba-san smiled, apologetically. She didn’t wait for an answer but went to the ship and uttered ‘Piccolo’ for it to open up a landing pad from the side.

“Oh fine then,” Mama shrugged then bent and kissed Gohan-kun on the cheek. “Now you be a good boy.”

“Of course, Mama,” Gohan hugged her then turned and hugged Ojii-san and Chai as well as his stuff was packed onto the pad.

“Be careful,” Chai told her brother, holding him tight.

“You too,” he whispered to her. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re up to something.”

“I’m never up to anything,” she whispered back. 

He smiled coyly at her then got on the pad. The three rose up and into the ship, making Chai’s heart still. She was incredibly happy for her brother and his adventure but she couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. 

_Come back, brother._

“Well, Chai-chan, I’m going to drop you and your grandfather off at the kingdom, then go visit with your father for the day,” Oka-san said. “If I stay any longer, I’m just going to start crying.”

“Umm.. Chi-Chi, how about I drop you off with Goku? That way Chai and I can leave when she gets tired,” Ojii-san suggested.

“Now, Dad, she needs to learn that a queen’s duties are never over!!”

“She will, honey, when she’s queen. Right now, she’s the princess.”

Chai was thankful for her grandpa’s quick thinking. This meant that she could also train with Roshi today and show him everything Gohan-kun had taught her over the last week. 

The ride felt like it took hours, even though it was only 45 minutes. Chai was anxious to arrive at the Ox Kingdom but didn’t want to give herself away to her elders. 

“What are we doing at the Kingdom, today, Ojii-san?”

“Well, I need to discuss some things with Camphor. Sensitive things, but I thought it would be a great opportunity for you to get to know Basil better. He’ll be your steward when you’re queen.”

_Perfect._

Chai smoothed out her dress with a pleased smile on her face. “Great idea, grandpa.”

The Ox King and his court took up the dining room, overlooked by painted images of previous monarchs. It was suggested that Chai, Basil, and the archivist’s son, Cinna, walk through the garden and get to know each other better. The “garden” was in fact a vegetable garden. The same one they’d been discussing about a week ago. They seemed to have taken the princess’s suggestion of fennel and holly shrubs. The smell was lovely from all of the crops. It was fresh and earthy and floral. There were also more bees and hummingbirds than normal for November. 

“Your suggestion seemed to work well, Your Highness,” Basil pointed out.

“Thank you, Basil,” Chai smiled. She watched as a green and blue hummingbird buzzed around a flower, suckling on the nectar.

_How do I approach this?_

“The suggestion more than worked. It was a turn around!” Cinna said next to them. 

Cinna was physically quite opposite of Basil. Basil was short and a little bit athletic, while Cinna was tall and lanky. The latter also had orangish-red hair, opposite of Basil’s green hair, which framed yellow eyes against pale skin. Cinna was dark skinned and had carrot-colored eyes.

“Well, we need to eat,” Chai pointed out, “And it’ll be my job to solve problems one day.”

_Speaking of problems..._

“I’m glad you understand your position, Your Highness. Most princesses think it’s all royal balls and tax hikes” the steward replied.

“I’m going to insist you both call me ‘Chai’. At least, when others aren’t around, please.”

“I have no issues with that, but Mr. Prim-And-Proper probably won't,” Cinna teased.

“Is this not typically your bedtime, Cinna?” Basil replied.

The skinny boy smiled through a yawn and shrugged. “I don’t mind messing up my nocturnal schedule for the princess.”

“So, since I’m never here, do either of you know anything about what they are talking about with my grandfather?”

“I’m afraid not, Your Highness.” Basil replied.

“Seems weird, Basil. I’d think you know, your father being steward and all. If I remember, Camphor is quite talkative, given a bit of scotch,” Cinna then threw his head back in a mock drinking gesture.

“Now, that isn’t necessary!!” Basil cried.

“But is it true?” Chai asked.

“What does it matter?” the green-haired boy said, tersely.

“Because I want to know what the Dragon Kingdom is doing to the Sheep and Rooster Kingdoms,” Chai stated.

 _Must fight_ , something inside her whispered. It startled the demi but she didn’t show it, her eyes locked on Basil and Cinna.

The air changed immediately. Basil stared firmly at the princess as Cinna studied both.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but it’s best for you not to know,” he finally answered before continuing down the garden path.

“But you know,” Chai said. 

“Yes ma’am.”

“I order you to tell me.”

“I am under orders by the King to not, Your Highness. Now, shall we? There are still five more miles of your success to look over, Princess.”

_Well played._

Chai nodded and continued, Cinna right beside her.

“Scotch, yes?” she quietly asked the amateur archivist.

“Yes,” he laughed. “But you’ll have an easier time with Basil, I think.”

“Why do you encourage me?” 

“I like you, Chai. I think you’ll make the future quite interesting and I’m excited to see how.” He then offered her his arm, “Shall we?”

She giggled as she accepted and they ran forward to catch up with Basil.

She and her grandpa did go over to Muten Roshi-sama's as Chai had expected. She was a bit disappointed that she didn't learn more about the situation with the Dragon Kingdom but she did confirm that there was a situation and where to try to dig for information. The question was how to get Basil to talk. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about that right now, however.

Roshi smacked her over the head with his staff for the 20th time that day. It seemed to be the only training she'd get that week.

"Owwww!!!! Watch it Rafiki!!! I can't be going back to Oka-san with another head growing out of my head!!" the princess wailed. 

"Won't be any worse than that shiner on your cheek. You say Gohan gave you that?" her Master inquired. 

"Yeah, he was training me a little before he left."

Chai repositioned her back and neck to align and placed her open palms back on her knees. 

"Well, he missed an important basic. You can know every martial art forwards and backwards but if you can't clear your mind and focus, then you still lose the fight."

Chai closed her eyes and began again with a beginner's trick Roshi-sama taught her. She envisioned the word "quiet" and repeated it within her mind until everything fell away. It was a strange sensation, meditating. She was aware of her body and senses but unmoved by it all. The breeze blew a stray hair before her nose but she didn’t sneeze. A crab crawled by and tested the reflexes of her foot but Chai didn’t budge. A sweet, chocolatey smell wafted out from the house, followed by an equally sweet, high voice. 

"Chai-chan!!! Master Roshi!!! I made cookies!!!” Blue Launch called.

Chai felt her stomach gurgle but she kept her brain on that word. 

_Quiet._

_Quiet._

The smell got stronger.

_Quiet._

_Quiet._

“My-my, Launch. Heh. Don’t mind if I do,” Muten-Roshi-sama said beside her.

_Quiet._

_Quiet._

“Ah-Achoo!!!!”

Chai’s eyes snapped open. She glanced over at her master and the now blonde woman. She wasn’t yet accustomed to this side, who was currently glaring down at the hand brushing against her chest as he picked up a chocolate chip cookie.

“You. Old. Geezer.” she said evenly.

“I-It was an accident, Launch!!! I swear I was just getting a cookie for Chai!!”

“Really, I thought I was supposed to be meditating,” the girl replied.

“Hhmph!!!” Launch-san then jerked the tray from him and kicked the old man onto his turtle shell. “You get none!” She then turned to Chai and gave her the entire tray. “Here, kid. I betcha hungry.”

Chai felt saliva wanting to dribble out of her mouth. 

“Can I share with Clove-san?” she nodded to the house.

“I don’t care. Just don’t give any to the perv.”

Chai ran into the house as fast as she could without tripping and spilling the tray. Inside, Clove was seated on the couch next to Oolong and Turtle. They were watching an old Bruce Lee movie and cheering. They had their own tray of cookies in front of them on the table and Chai sat down the one she was carrying, joining them on the couch.

“Bruce Lee was something!!” Clove exclaimed.

“Yeah he was, but Goku is even better,” Oolong replied.

“I’ve heard quite a few stories,” the boy agreed.

“He is!!” Chai cried proudly. “My Papa is the strongest man in the world!!!”

The boy reached forward for a cookie while Chai gathered a stack in her hand. “Then why do you train? He can protect you,” he pointed out.

“I don’t want to be protected,” Chai shook her head. “I want to protect others. Both of my parents are fighters, though Mama hasn’t fought in a long time.”

“But isn’t that what you have a Royal Army for? To protect others?”

“What if my Royal Army needs protecting? What if…” she thought of the reasons she now trained. “What if an army isn’t the answer? Some battles have to be fought privately.”

“You’re not like the princesses in movies,” Clove chuckled.

“Nope. I don’t even want to marry a prince.” 

Chai then turned her attention to the movie and the fifteen cookies in her hand. It was mostly over, so ojii-san let her finish it before taking a shower to hide any trace of sweat from training. As Chai toweled off, she overheard a peculiar conversation between Muten Roshi and Ojii-san. 

“I... help, Ros... It’s...,” Ojii-san said.

“... be... troub...?”

“... Drago... the... King... now.... working... to... and... from... Sheep...”

“...horr..!!! Why… Earth!?”

“...Dragon... a ...-child... for... they... have... wo’en... their... ates... they... ealing... from…. Kingdom... normally... on... Kinom... help... just... When... sent... di..mat... R..sters... come... some… pea..ful... and... get... back... diplomat... sent... death... next...his... old… went.... Her… Violet... We’ve... man... out... are... the... but….. We’re... to... war.”

“... Gyumao? ...won... wars!! … ... stomp... their...!!”

“We’d … …. one... Rooster... isn’t…... paired... the... dom,” she heard her grandpa shudder. “... one... pair... to... They... women.”

“...uncil... sending a... to... incognito... free the…. sugge..d Chi... but… ..I can’t, ...shi... I.. send my ...daughter. I ...risk... my ...children….”

“I d..ot .. you, Gyumao….Goku laid up...the hospi…”

“...help.. us?”

“O… course.”

It was another week before Chai visited either the kingdom or Roshi. The two seemed to go hand-in-hand. She couldn’t come up with a reason to visit the Turtle Hermit (without her mother) unless her grandpa took her to the Ox Kingdom. Every day, they’d visit with her father, Chai would study more on different aspects of ruling, she’d cook with her mother, meditate - which Chi-Chi found to be good practice - and her Mama would call over to Capsule Corps to see if they’d heard anything from Bulma, which they hadn’t.

Chai figured out that her mother got up around six am every day to start the chores and breakfast, and so Chai began getting up at five each day to practice outside for fifty minutes before rushing back into her room to crawl under the covers and pretend to sleep. Once Mama checked on her each morning, she’d “wake up” and begin her day.

She kept trying to analyze what she heard between Roshi and Ojii-san but it just left her with more questions. What did the Dragon, Rooster and Sheep Kingdoms have to do with each other? And what about war? They couldn’t go to war? Why them? Why her mother? Did Mama even know about a suggestion to send her to get information. Chai imagined she didn’t. Even though Son Chi-Chi tried to keep her children out of things, she was incredibly gun-hoe, herself.

_‘You’re children!! You should do child-like things!!’_

“Chai-chan, you think you can keep an eye on your father while I get some air?” Mama asked her. 

Chai looked up from her book, Muten-Roshi seated nearby with a box of sponge cake. Her mother had gone on with normal life but she once again lost some of the fire in her eyes. She’d been spending a lot of time lately either outside or on the roof, looking up at the night sky. Sometimes Chai would join her, just so her mother wouldn’t be alone and to remind her that she still had a second child. 

“Sure, Mama.” the girl said brightly.

Chi-Chi nodded and slowly excused herself from the room. Once the door to the elevator could be heard closing, Papa crawled from his bed to the floor.

“Chai-chan, can you do as many sit ups as me?” he asked.

“Ummm… Papa?”

“It’s okay. Roshi told me that you’ve been training with him. Come on, let’s see whatcha got!!”

Chai jumped down next to her father and got into position with her arms crossed over her chest. “Ready!!”

They both went, pacing themselves according to their own limitations. Chai was surprised how much time they spent, expecting Oka-san to burst in at any moment and figure her daughter out. 

“T-two-oh-nine,” Chai gasped. She laid back, her abs agonizing over her efforts. 

She was already able to see the changes in her body when she dressed. That was another thing she was thankful for. Her mother began to give the girl’s maturing body privacy. If she saw how her daughter was gaining muscle, she’d know.

The girl huffed, and forced her body back up once more. 

“Two…. ten!” she roared before falling back on the tile with a groan.

“Two-ten huh?” Papa asked. He was still effortlessly doing sit ups. “Not bad, hun. How long ya been training?”

“On...and...off… two weeks… a few hours …. Per week… Mama…. Cant… know..”

The door burst open as a harried looking Chi-Chi came through the door clutching a cell phone in her hands. She had just bought it the day after Gohan left, not wanting to miss an update if something did happen.

“Chai, I just got off of the phone with Dr. Briefs and you wouldn’t believe the trouble they ran into!! They were attacked by this army of delinquent children who thought they worked for some alien named Frieza!!! Apparently this jerk killed all of their parents and they're just going through space like a band of hooligans!!!”

“That sounds horrible Mama!! Is everyone okay?!!”

“Yes!!! There was a big fire and your brother and Krillin helped them out and Bulma flew their ship so that they wouldn’t crash and OHMYGODCHAI WHATIF SOMETHING DIDHAPPEN TOMYBABY!!!!!!!!!!”

Chai went to her mother that was now crying on her knees. “But Mama.. if something happened to Gohan, don’t you think Bulma-oba-san would have said so?”

“Y-yeah… she… uhh… she did tell her father… they found a shortcut…” she brightened up. “Your brother won't be gone as long now.”

She then slowly turned her attention to her husband, who was still on the floor in sit up position.

“Goku-sa… what are you… doing?” she gritted.

“Uhhh.. just trying to get healthy, Chi. Sit ups, y’know,” he slowly tried to get up but winced. At this point, Mama was already bending over him with her hands on her hips.

“Goku, how on earth do you plan to get better by pushing yourself!!?!? You’re supposed to be resting!!!”

“I’m fine, Chi-Chi!!! Really!!!” he winced again as he got to his feet.

“I-I… I better be going. See ya later, Goku!!!” Roshi-sama said, as he backed out of the room.

“And Chai!!!” Chi-Chi then turned on her heel. “You were supposed to be keeping an eye on your father!!!”

“I-uh- I was. I only let him do 250 sit ups….” the girl offered.

“250 SIT UPS!!!!!”

“He wanted to do 500…”

“King Gyumao…” a timid voice echoed into the room. All three heads turned to see the orb Ojii-san normally carried with him glowing on the seat where he left it. He’d gone a while ago to get food for everyone, a task which took quite a while due to Chai and Otou-san’s appetites. 

The girl went to the orb and was surprised to see Basil’s face looking back. His eyes widened at her appearance before going back to their neutral gaze she was growing used to. 

“Ojii-san isn’t here right now, but I could take a message,” Chai said.

“Actually, Your Highness, could you find the King? It’s urgent.”

Chai turned to look at her mother who nodded her approval. She was helping her dad back to his bed, seeming to have calmed. 

“Of course,” Chai said and left the room. She’d gone only a few doors beyond her father’s when Basil spoke through the orb once more. 

“Are you alone, Your Highness?” 

“Y-yes,” she paused her walking.

“I will merely give you a clue. The rest you need to figure out.”

“Why the change in heart?”

“Cinna said you seemed passionate about this, and… I admire that in a ruler.”

“Go on, what’s your clue?”

“Dragon Kingdom’s 2-child law. Now then, I do need to speak to the king.”

2-child law? Chai knew where she could read about that. 

She nodded excitedly at the steward and put the orb in her pocket to run down to the cafeteria where she found her grandpa coming back, balancing a bunch of bento boxes. She stood on tiptoe and pushed the glass ball into the crook of his elbow, entirely pleased with today. Not only did she get an update on Gohan, whose own mission was moving forward, so was hers. Chai rushed ahead of her grandpa, moved by her excitement. She turned hard at the corner and went down the hallway, counting the rooms until she got to 1010. She grabbed the knob and busted through the door before screaming at the sight she found.

“OH KAMI!!!! MOM!!! DAD!!!! I - GODS DOES THAT EVEN GO THERE?!?!!?”

“Oh,” Chi-Chi’s muffled voice replied. There was an audible pop. “Chai-chan, you weren’t supposed to see that.” 

“COULDN’T YOU WAIT!!?!”

“Chai, honey, it’s not like you actually saw anything,” her dad replied, his hand rubbing his neck, self consciously.

“I SAW MOMS HEAD UNDER YOUR SHEETS!!!! I’M ELEVEN, NOT STUPID!!!!!”


	12. Chapter 11??

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No title this chapter, and a day late. I had intended to get this out for Day 18: Double Penetration but ..work...
> 
> Launch needs a distraction, which Tenshinhan provides her ;) the next day, she visits with Bulma. Motherly talk ensues.
> 
> Krillin, Gohan and Bulma have landed on Namek, or have they?

Chapter 11: 

That night, after hearing about Clove’s death, Launch quit her gardening for the day. She left her garden half-watered, didn’t give two shits about the mud she tracked into the house, striped in the bathroom and sat in the tub until the water was murky from the dirt on her skin and turned her into a golden raisin. Once she sneezed, of course, she was just a regular raisin. That’s how the ex-thief thought of herself - dried of all emotion and care. 

Tenshinhan continued his teachings for the day, but was sure to look in on her periodically. He’d ask her if she needed anything but the woman would just shake her head, staring straight at the wall opposite her. Two hours had gone by and he came in with a fluffy towel in his hands. He was barefoot and in just his linen pants.

He stood near the sink and looked down at her, while slowly unfolding the towel. “Launch-san, I respect your pain but this is very unlike you.”

“I just want to forget, I guess,” she said, finally.

“And is this helping that?” 

“No… I thought… Blondie thought we needed space… but I’m not sure what we need.”

“Could I convince you to have tea with me? I purchased some fresh chamomile leaves yesterday.”

The indigo-head nodded slowly, staring down at the water. She was startled to find that she could not see her own reflection. She hadn’t realized how dark and dirty the water had gotten. Slowly, Launch rose from the water, letting it run down the softening curves of her body and stepped into the towel her husband was offering her. He gently patted her slender frame and wrapped it around her, not saying a word. This was something that Launch had always appreciated about Ten. They did not need to fill the air with small talk. Both were relatively quiet people, only saying what needed to be said and as such, they easily shared silence. 

Once dried and covered, they went to the kitchen where Ten began filling a kettle with water and put it on the stove to heat. Launch sat herself at the table, choosing to be waited on for once. The air in the kitchen made her shiver slightly. She watched her husband pull down two small cups and fill them with the fresh leaves he mentioned as the water slowly began to steam.

They continued in silence as they drank their tea. Usually Ten sat across from Launch, but tonight he sat next to her and gently put his hand on hers. 

“Are you sure there is nothing I can do?” he asked.

“I wish my truck was going right now… I just need to focus on something else.” 

“When the body is tethered, one focuses on the mind. Perhaps the opposite is also true,” he said as his hand traveled along the length of Launch’s arm.

She smiled as he made his way up her shoulder, a bare brushing of fingertips, and went up her neck to find her chin and slowly bring her lips to his. He kissed her fully and sweetly. Despite how chaste it was, Launch found her cheeks burning from the gesture. She was normally the romantic one, normally the sexual one. Ten was such a man of the mind and spirit, and perhaps that was part of why he could deal with her dueling personalities. 

Launch put her hand on the back on his neck to deepen the kiss, caressing his cheek with the other. She wanted to lose herself in this large, gentle man. Lose her worries and cares and pain and perhaps find herself again in him. 

One hand slid down his bare back as he put one of her against her shoulders and pulled her towards him slowly, as though asking permission. Launch let herself be pulled into Tenshinhan’s body, relishing the feel of his large hands and arms. She slid her tongue along his as she straddled his lap. His frame was so much larger than hers that even spread along his thighs, her knees rested against his hips. 

She moaned as her body was pressed to him completely, separated by only the towel he previously wrapped her in. She could feel herself getting aroused already, though her disciplined husband was in need of more coaxing. Something in the air tickled her nose and-

“Achoo!!!” 

That was when Blonde Launch felt not only Tenshinhan under her, but she swore his lips were on the side of her neck. She wasn’t sure how that was possible when he was looking right at her.

“Ummm..” she began as he clasped her face in his hands. He looked her in the eyes when he spoke.

“Be calm and trust me.” 

There was an undeniably lustful tone in his voice. She still couldn’t understand how he could be talking to her and kissing her neck. But she knew those were his lips. Launch breathed heavily, as his hand brushed her blonde hair entirely to one side. 

“I trust ya, Ten, but what - Oh!!!” she gasped as one hand reached into the top of her towel and squeezed her tit. She was still amazed that he could entirely fit one in each hand, being not exactly flat chested. His hands then slowly went down to her hips (a third one still in her towel) to rock her body against him. The growing hardness under her was unmistakable, making the woman moan lightly, and her eyes flutter.

“I thought if I could overwhelm your body, it would overwhelm your mind,” the voice behind her said. The voice belonging to Tenshinhan.

“How?” she whimpered as a fourth hand slowly began to strip the towel from her, letting it drop to the floor. 

“I multiplied myself,” he said, huskily, rubbing circles on her bare hips with his thumbs as Launch rubbed her groin against him. “Does it disturb you?”

“No,” she breathed, one hand reaching down to guide one of Ten’s hands more towards her butt to grab it. The other reached to the Ten behind her, grasping at the hardness that his pants barely concealed. “Kinda wished we did this sooner.”

“Ugh, Launch,” the one behind her groaned. She took this as encouragement and tugged on his pants until they came down, releasing her favorite pound of flesh. Still grinding the man under her, she half turned and slowly began to run her tongue over second Ten’s firm cock, swirling along the head. All three eyes closed as he let out a throaty groan, making Launch snicker in her little victory.

She stroked his length, as fingertips began to softly brush her folds. Launch moaned lightly, looking into the eyes of the Ten behind her as she painstakingly put his cock in her mouth. The Ten under her grabbed her ass firmly with his other hand, making her yelp around the thickness between her lips. His fingers entered her and she groaned, trying hard to focus on sucking the doppelganger that her husband so generously provided. 

She pulled off of his cock, and continued stroking him, the task now easier with her wet saliva coating his skin. Launch turned her head to face the Ten under her and palmed at his still hidden length. It tented his pants, making it all too easy to find. Her gestures made him fumble his hand only for a moment before regaining his concentration on her pussy. 

“Take off your pants,” she said before getting to her feet. 

With a rise of his hips, Ten shed himself of the garment and settled back onto the chair before pulling on Launch’s hand to come back over. Instead of sitting back on his lap, however, she got to her knees before him and began paying his length the attention that she’d been giving the other. The woman sucked on the head for a short while before spreading her spit all over Ten’s cock with her fisted hand. He groaned, running a fond hand through her hair as she took him into her mouth completely.

Behind her, Launch felt her hips pulled upwards and large hands spread her thighs. She’d begun to think on what a great idea this was when a tongue licked up her folds and along her clit, making her body and mind both stop momentarily. She felt her throat constrict on the cock that teased her esophagus and one of Ten’s hands softly pulled her from his length.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” he smirked.

She scowled at him then smiled as a stray hair tickled her nose.

“Ah-ah-choo!!!! Oh… oh my.. Oh…” Blue Launch moaned. For her, sexual acts were always more intense than her blonde counterpart, though neither was sure why.

Her mind caught up with how she got on the kitchen floor with two Tenshinhan then she leaned forward and continued the work that Blondie had started. It was a bit overwhelming, the feel of his tongue deep inside her pussy, lapping at her wetness while hearing him moan at his cock in her mouth. Now that she’d thought about it, Launch had never had two men at once. 

“Wait.. wait.. Launch. Too much…” he gasped, running both hands in her now blue hair.

She pulled from him and looked up, lovingly as the second Ten slowly pulled away from her folds. She groaned at the loss of pleasure when her husband took her hands and brought her to her feet. He got out of the chair and turned her so that she was facing the second Ten. For some reason, she was shocked at how identical they were. 

Her hips were now pulled downward as she felt her cheeks being spread. This was different too. Gods the man was full of surprises. The Ten before her got to his knees so they were more level, his length brushing her fingertips. She took him in her hands and caressed the skin as a tongue pressed to her butt, sending a shockwave through the woman before another wave of pleasure. 

Launch gasped as Ten now licked an entrance they really never used. It felt strange. Strange but good. She whimpered as the Ten before her brought her lips up to his and kissed her deeply, his tongue exploring her mouth. He swallowed up the moans that his original created, her body a violin that the two so adeptly played.

A thick finger then entered her back entrance, making Launch yelp in surprise. 

“Shhh…” Ten hummed, placing kisses along her vertebraes as he patiently worked her backside. Again, it wasn’t painful, necessarily. Just different. The Ten in front of her did the same thing to her core, dipping his long fingers inside of her as he kissed her. It was all a taste of what was to come and Launch welcomed it. She welcomed how her body, all of the sensations took over everything else. Left room for nothing else.

Two more fingers eased into her, one for a while, then the other, until Ten was using three fingers to pump his wife’s tighter entrance. He just wanted to make sure he didn’t hurt her, though this was normally an act he would never have suggested. But he wanted so badly to ease her pain, and now that she was a moaning, cumming mess he was allowing himself to get more and more into it. He had to maintain some control over his mind, however, in order to keep his copy out.

Her body quivered again and he moaned out her name. Ten pulled his fingers from her ass, making her gasp, and sat back into the chair, his thickness throbbing. He gently pulled her by the hip, leading her back to him before lifting her and gently easing himself into her ass. He monitored her heart rate and breathing as he did so. The first sign of discomfort and he’d back off.

She was halfway down when he laid a kiss on her shoulder. “Are you okay, my love?”

“Yes,” she shuddered. “Please keep going.” 

Although she was speaking to the Ten underneath her, Launch looked into the eyes of the one in front of her. Both men were paying such sweet attention to her body, so she wanted to make sure neither felt ignored.

The second Ten worked himself with one hand while caressing the side of Launch’s face with the other, returning her focused gaze. His original continued to slowly fill her until he could go no further, groaning at how tight she was. He stayed still, breathing quite heavily, and beckoned for the other to come closer.

“You should get her going. It’ll be better than way,” he breathed. 

The second nodded his understanding and positioned himself so that he could easily access Launch without getting into the other man’s way. He held one of her gorgeous calves in one hand while easing into her with the other. Once he was secure enough, he grabbed the other leg and pushed into her with a moan.

“All these years, and you still feel amazing, Launch.”

Using her legs to keep her steady, he gently pumped into her, coaxing sweet moans from his wife’s lips. She was so slick already, and he could feel her juices dripping down from around his cock to begin to puddle towards her ass where the other waited. _Ah, so this is what was intended._

“Oh! Oh! Ah! Oh Ah-ah-ah-choo!!!!!” she sneezed suddenly, moving her head just in time to not sneeze in Ten’s face.

Blonde Launch took a quick inventory of the situation, and this was some hot shit. Couldn’t believe Blue had it in her to do something so dirty, even if it was with Tenshinhan. Hell, she was a little surprised Ten took it this far.

The blonde chuckled and simultaneously caressed the face of each husband, one in each hand. 

“Whatcha waitin’ on?”

She couldn’t see the expression of the Ten behind her, but the one in front of her looked shocked for a moment before recovering with a sense of confidence. He shoved into her just as his memories told him this Launch liked to be pleasured. 

“Fuck!!” she moaned. 

He pulled her legs over his shoulders to gain deeper purchase and began thrusting more vigorously. There was a possibility that if she changed again that she would simply urge him to keep going as he was. The force he used inadvertently rocked her against the cock in her rear, and that Ten slowly began to pump her from underneath.

“Oh!! Oh!! Fuckin’ Kami!!” Launch moaned.

This encouraged both men as they began to go just a bit faster. She came once with a scream, her hands grasping at the thighs under her, digging her nails. He slowed down instinctively at what seemed to be an act of pain, even as he felt more of her wetness coat their portion of the lovemaking.

“N-no… Don’t you dare stop!! Oh!! Fuck!! Ah!!! Keep going!!!”

Ten did as she asked, kissing the side of her face periodically as he fucked her ass. Admittedly, this felt amazing. They’d have to try it once just the two of them so he could allow himself to enjoy it more. Launch came a second time and he didn’t mistake her body language. 

Nearly an hour and several orgasms later, Ten’s clone materialized into thin air. That one had already cum and served his purpose. Launch had transformed three times, into Blue, into Blonde, and back to Blue. The gentler version and her husband were both pumping into each other languidly, covered in sweat and the night air. Their soft moans and grunts filled the kitchen, until finally with a few more pumps, Ten let out a deep groan, grabbing Launch’s hips a bit more tightly as he filled her. 

The triclops let his body slouch into the kitchen chair as Launch collapsed fully against him, panting. He held her tight around the waist as she kissed his cheek.

“Thank you,” she told him and nearly fell asleep just like that.

******

Two hours had passed since Launch arrived to visit Bulma. No doubt if Blondie came out, they’d end up drinking together and Launch supposed that was fine. She just needed to get out of her head a little and see a friendly face.

It was honestly a good idea on Tenshinhan’s part, along with his other idea from last night. Both sides of Launch thought they should try out his ability to multiply more often. 

The heiress was dressed in a way that Launch wasn’t used to seeing: beat-up jeans with old grease stains and a roughed up red tank top. She was evidently about to go work on the time machine her other self built when Launch had arrived. At first, she was going to leave but Bulma insisted that it was fine. ‘Everyone’s been telling me to take a break anyways,’ and ushered her into the house to order food, part of which was now in front of them on the balcony. 

She watched as Bulma looked over her shoulder and all around before answering the dual-minded woman. She then leaned closer to the other bluenette. 

“In actuality, I can have the time machine going in two days,” Bulma whispered. “Well, five now. Trunks...the younger one... actually messed it up some more to extend the time.”

“Why though?”

“He also thinks his older self needs more time.” she shook her head. “You should see him, Launch… my 30-something year old son looks like a war vet. Just a lost, paranoid look in his eyes. When Vegeta first started opening up to me about his time on the Frieza Force, he’d have that look. That's something no mother wants to…” she then turned to look at her friend. “I’m sorry. You’re here for my comfort and I’m doing a shitty job at it. I can’t imagine what you feel, Launch.”

Launch smiled solemnly and nodded. “Clove never got that kind of look though, no matter how many wars he fought. So I also can’t imagine what you’re feeling.” 

Bulma reached a hand across and took Launch’s in hers. She gave a squeeze and a reassuring smile. “Chai’ll bring them back, you know. We have to wait a little while to gather the Dragonballs. About 31 more weeks… so seven months. In seven months you can hold your son again.”

Launch squeezed her hand in return but couldn’t look up. Yes, she was ecstatic that she would be able to see Clove again, and not even have to wait a year. Still, she felt for Bulma. Even though Trunks and Future Trunks were the same person, it never occurred to her that Bulma viewed them as two different people. 

“In two weeks though, you no longer hold one of your sons.”

“If he’s okay, then… dammit, it was different the first time. The first time, I knew Trunks was returning to a timeline with a mother. A version of me. Someone I knew would look out for him and love him and… I’m… other me.. Is gone now though.”

A tear slipped down Launch’s cheek for both of them. Silently, she wondered at Clove’s fate in the other timeline. Her own fate. She knew Ten had died fighting the androids, but she never asked about herself. Launch turned over the possible answers in her head and decided that she didn’t want to know what happened to her adopted son in the alternate timeline. She didn’t want to risk losing him twice. 

“At least I can make sure this son doesn’t have the same life,” Bulma said, slowly.

Bulma peered over the balcony where they ate their sushi and drank iced tea. Below, the teenage version of Trunks, the Son twins, Marron, and three children Launch thought vaguely familiar laid in the grass and debated what to do for fun.

“We could play hide and seek. No one could get hurt doing that, right?” Tsuchi suggested. 

She was wearing her hair in a crown braid that went into a side braid and a striped dress. It reminded Launch of some of the outfits Chai wore as a girl, though her sister’s taste seemed a little more girly. 

“Hide and seek?” the blue one laughed. “Isn’t that a child’s game?”

The black-haired girl leaned into her hands, laying across from Tsuchi, who kneeled in the grass. The two groups were separated, saiyajin children on the left, mystery children on the right, and Marron in the middle.

“Pilaf, we _are_ children,” the black-haired girl hissed. 

Next to her, Bulma snorted and shoved another piece of maguro into her mouth, chewing with a very dissatisfied look on her face. Somehow, Launch didn’t think it was the tuna.

“Besides,” Tsuchi continued. “We need to play something Marron can play. She’s a lot smaller.”

“I’m not that small. I’m eight years old!!” Marron crooned.

“You’re not that much smaller than me!!” the black-haired girl said brightly. “I’m…” she paused and a look of concentration appeared on her face before frowning. “I’m ...ten…”

“Capsule Corps is really big!! Lots of places to hide!!” Goten pointed out. He was in the same exact position as his twin, the two of them like bookends on either side of Trunks, who laid on his back, staring up at the sky as if he wasn’t part of the conversation. 

“Trunks-kun and I used to get into so much trouble exploring the place” Goten continued.

“Psh. I still get in trouble,” the other boy said, moodily. 

“Your future self is still mad, huh?” the dog-boy asked.

“He tries not to show it, but yeah.”

Bulma was still staring down, eyes fixed on the black-haired girl who edged herself closer to her son. A small smile appeared on her host’s face as Tsuchi’s tail began to twitch behind her. Launch had been around Goku enough to know that was a sign of annoyance. 

“So, its your house. What do you wanna do?” the unnamed girl asked.

“We could go with Tsuchi’s idea. One of you should be seeker though. It’s too easy for Goten, Tsuchi and me to pick out your guys’ ki.”

“The hiders should move around. Make it more tricky,” Goten suggested.

“Roshambo for seeker?” the dog suggested.

The group didn’t so much as agree as they all put their fists in a circle and shook them three times before throwing out rock, paper, or scissors. A seeker was eventually decided - _poor Marron_ \- and she closed her eyes, hands covering over the top while the rest either flew or ran in various directions.

“Achoo!!!” 

Bulma got up from her spot and went into the house really quickly, leaving blonde Launch to try and decipher through Blue’s memories how she got here and what she was doing. 

Aircraft? Okay. 

Bullshittin’ with Bulma? Fine by me. 

Watching the kiddos? Whatever.

The heiress came back with a cooler that had ice and over a dozen beers sticking out of it and placed it on the far side of the table where it was kind of between them. She pulled one out for herself and offered the ex-thief one of her own.

“It’s kinda sweet that the kids are friends too,” Launch said, taking the beer.

That set of kids that Launch didn’t recognize ran by again. She thought maybe she saw them at a few of Bulma’s parties but there was something else about them that was familiar. 

“You and Vegeta adoptin’ kids now or somethin’?” she nodded down to the trio. They were whispering together before going off in separate directions.

“Nooooo….” the bluenette sighed, “But they had nowhere to go, and Trunks asked if they could stay, and I spoil the shit out of my kid so I wasn’t gonna stop now. Besides, he should probably have friends other than super-powered ones.”

“You don’t sound pleased about it,” Launch pointed out as she grabbed another beer. 

Bulma snickered. “Remember the Pilaf Gang? Chased Goku and I around the planet for the Dragon Balls?”

Launch nodded with an eyebrow raised, not sure what that had to do with anything.

The heiress then stabbed down at the spot the three had been in a few minutes ago with her bottle. “That’s them. Got wished into children by accident.” She then threw back her drink and Launch followed suit.

“Wasn’t she older than us?” the blonde asked, referring to Mai. “Wouldn’t she be like 50 now?”

Bulma then spit out her drink and covered her mouth. “Oh Kami, you’re right!! And that cougar is all goo-goo-eyed over my son!!!!” Launch’s eyes popped out at that revelation. Oh man, if that were her son she wouldn’t even wait for something… her… her son. She took another deep draught as Bulma groaned. “Ugh, and Chibi Trunks likes her…”

“Do ya think she remembers being older? Like… do you think she has weird thoughts?” Launch said, trying to think of her friend’s crisis rather than her own.

“SHE BETTER NOT OR NO DRAGON IN THE WORLD WILL BRING HER BACK TO LIFE!!!!!!!!”

Bulma cracked open another beer and downed half of it in seconds. “At least… she better keep her hands to herself. Younger Trunks is 13… I don’t think he knows what any of that stuff is yet… my older son is 30? 31? I’m not sure… and ya know what? I don’t like the thought of her looking at him either.”

There was the sound of a stampede as all seven kids barrelled into the ground entrance of Capsule Corps, obviously done with their hide and seek game. Tsuchi carried Marron on her hip as though the girl was her doll and Launch snickered. The youngest Son - by two whole minutes, from what Chi-Chi said - took a bit from her mother’s personality. Chi-Chi was always fussin’ over her kids, like they didn’t come from Goku’s loins or something and that sense of maternity did transfer to all four in some mild way, but Tsuchi was by far the worst.

“What are we going to do now?” the tiny blonde giggled.

Launch couldn’t believe they were loud enough to be heard all of the way up here. She looked over at Bulma who was sipping at her beer as she walked to the table. There was something in her hand. The kids completely disappeared. Something in the air tickled her nose and -

“Achoo!! Oh… ummm,” blue haired Launch considered the cold bottle in her hand before sitting down across from Bulma and setting it on the table. “I’ll leave that for Blondie.”

She could hear more sound and commotion coming from the small black device in Bulma’s hand and realized that it was a portable speaker connected to different rooms in the house. The indigo-haired woman raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s play a video game!! Trunks-kun has the biggest collection!!” 

That sounded like Goten. My, he sounded just like Goku used to.

“Umm… we can. I don’t think I have anything for seven players though. We’ll have to switch off on deaths or something.”

Launch felt her heart bob back down again at the sound of what she was mentally referring to now as “the D word”.

“Do you have anything classic??” a squeakier voice asked. That sounded like the blue one. Pilaf?

“I have the old Mario. The original. I think it used to be my mom’s. We’d play it together when I was really little.”

Bulma smiled at this, absentmindedly swirling her bottle. Launch smiled at her friend. She never had such memories of Clove. He came into her life when he was about 12. Her stomach churned and she instead tried to focus on something else. 

Slowly, began to digest how strange it was that she even had such a listening device. No one who really knew Bulma would deny that the woman was a little eccentric, chasing after magical balls, going into space, marrying an alien, but spying on her kid was a bit much, right?

“Let’s play that!!” “Yeah!!!” “I haven’t played that in forever!!!” was the chorus of enthused responses.

“What’s Mario??” Tsuchi’s voice came through.

“It’s really old and easy. You basically fight through these magical worlds with your brother to rescue Princess Peach but can’t until the very end.” Goten replied.

“ ‘Sorry Mario but the Princess is fucking Bowser in another castle.’ ”

Bulma’s eyes got wide for the second time in an hour. Launch gasped then stifled a laugh as Bulma guzzled the rest of her beer and reached for another. Launch wasn’t sure if the woman’s shock was at the realization that her son did know what sex was, or how easily he used the word “fuck”. Probably both.

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that…” the blunette said, turning off the speaker with a click.

“So… do you listen to everything at Capsule Corps?” Launch asked innocently.

“No,” Bulma replied, shaking her head. “I only have speakers in the common parts of the house, and in the rooms that Pilaf, Shu, and Mai sleep in. They’re very recent.”

 _Good Kami!!_

“Isn’t that an invasion of privacy?” Launch grimaced.

“They’re in my house, looking to steal my Dragon Radar. I consider it insurance.” 

The women talked for a while longer, discussing Launch’s food truck, Bulma’s interest in recreating the time machine - which ironically came to her two months ago, Tenshinhan’s dojo, Vegeta’s slow-but-continuous integration into Earthling life, and an interest that Chaotzu recently took in painting miniature models. Somehow that worked for him, and they didn’t seem so tiny in his miniscule hands. 

The patio door then flew open as saiyajin children (plus one) flew out of it, nearly forgetting to close it behind them. 

"Mom we're going to go play in the forest!! Kloveyoubye!!!" Trunks exclaimed as he, the twins and Marron took to the sky with him holding the little girl as they flew.

"Have fun and be careful!!!" Bulma shouted from her chair. 

"Damn, they're restless," Launch laughed. "Reminds me of the old days."

"Yeah. They get into just about as much trouble too," Bulma mused. 

Moments later, Chai touched down on the balcony. She gave a weak smile but otherwise didn't make much eye contact. The girl bowed, her voice quiet as she spoke.

"Oba-San, Trunks-sa invited me to stay here while we rebuild the castle, if that's okay."

"Of course, Chai. There's lots of room here. Besides you're family." The heiress replied.

Chai rose back to standing. She glanced over at the blonde then quickly looked away with shame in her eyes. 

"Vegeta wont have an issue?"

"Vegeta isn't here to have an issue," Bulma sneered. "He's still sulking in the mountains." 

The girl nodded but otherwise didn't respond much. Launch hated how Chai wouldn't look at her as the younger woman stood on the balcony with a bag slung over her shoulder. She assumed the girl blamed herself but did she think that Launch also blamed her? Her tail slithered to wrap around her thigh once. Launch tried to look the girl in the face and smile but the woman wouldn’t have it. 

“Join us for a drink?” the blonde offered. “Ya look like you need one.”

Behind her, the patio door opened and Mirai Trunks stepped onto the balcony. 

"I thought I felt your ki signature," he told the other demi. 

She glanced up after a few moments, flushing.

“i decided to take your offer." She then turned to the two ladies and gave them a small smile. "As for drinking, maybe. Never got wrecked with you two,” Chai nodded at both women before looking down and pursing her lips again “I ummm… We’re going to have services for everyone in three days. About noon. I have to try to identify more bodies or it’d be sooner.”

That pulled on Launch’s heart to be reminded of Clove’s death but even in her moodier form, she sympathized with what Chai had to do. She nodded and watched as Trunks put his hand on Chai’s shoulder. 

It’d been a long time since she saw him. She remembered Clove being a bit jealous towards the young man Chai held feelings for several years ago. He thought she was foolish, falling for someone who would never be able to give her a life together, but Clove also accepted that as long as the time traveler was here, the Earthling would never be able to compete for Chai’s affections. Still, even if Clove wasn’t bitter, it didn’t keep this Launch from being a little testy on the subject. The boy she considered a son was in love with Goku’s daughter. Had been for quite some time. And he was decent and respectful, loyal to the young woman’s orders. The dualistic woman had wanted them to eventually marry, and was sure Chai would accept after some time had passed.

“Do you want me to show you to your room?” Trunks asked her gently.

Chai glanced up at him and nodded. He slowly dropped his hand from her and led her towards the inside.

_At least they don’t look together. And I’m sure Chai will bring everyone back to life. But now how long ‘til she gets over Mr. Blue Eyes again?_

“Is that all you brought?” Bulma called over to her.

Chai stopped just short of the patio door. Smells from whatever Panchy was cookin’ already wafted out. It must have been a lot of work cooking for all these Saiyan-jins. That made Launch a little glad that it was just her, Ten, and Chaozu. 

“It’s all I have,” the girl said quietly before continuing inside the house.

 _Damn._

Launch finished her drink in a few gulps and sat her bottle back down with a clatter. 

“I can steal us something stronger,” the blonde offered.

Bulma side-eyed her with a frown. “Please, do you think I don’t have a full bar?”

“Bet I can drink ya under the table, rich girl.”

“You’re on,” Bulma accepted before leading them inside and down some stairs. 

It didn’t take long to reach Bulma’s bar room, which didn’t look much different than one that was found in the city. She had a fully stocked shelf that spanned the height of one of the walls, including mixers and tonic water. Over towards the floor were two pool tables, a few card tables and a jukebox that looked like the real deal. Probably was. Launch could see Bulma drop a few million to have the first juke ever invented, and then a few more to make it functional. She was just enough of a show off for it.

“Whatcha drinking?” Launch asked, looking over the bottles of tequila. One that sounded real Spanish caught her eye.

“Expensive vodka” Bulma stated, fingering through her bottles.

“I didn’t try,” Chai admitted. “I’m… not trying to restart anything, to be honest.” 

Launch popped open a bottle of Reposado that she was more familiar with and chose a medium glass as Bulma turned on the television in the corner. She frowned her as a news reporter droned about a celebrity break up,grabbing her own bottle - a gold, egg-shaped receptacle - and pulled ice from the nearby fridge. 

“-Breaking News!!! A large wildfire has spread over the forests 30 miles south of Mt. Paozu. The reason for the flames has yet to be determined as-”

The sound of breaking glass brought the blonde’s attention away from the television.. 

“The children” Bulma gasped. 

On the tv above, the raging wildfire filled the screen as it engulfed the forest.

17 Years Earlier

“Did I mention that I never practiced landing this ship?” Bulma asked innocuously. 

Krillin’s head snapped upwards at the confession. Just a few moments ago, Bulma had looked at the navigation screen and confirmed that they were approaching Namek. Immediately, ehe blunette told them to strap in and hold tight - typical precautions for a landing - and Bulma being the heiress to Capsule Corps meant that not only was she well-educated in repairing ships, she could figure out how to fly every one she’d come across. Their run in with the armed orphans proved that as she prevented them from crashing into some meteor or planet. So, for Krillin, a confession like the one she’d just given was not only annoying but also a bit terrifying.

“Oh… and now is when you mention that!?” the monk exclaimed.

“Well, I just thought it was fair warning!! You’ve never doubted my abilities before, have you?!” 

Krillin had looked over at Gohan who was resting his arms on the arm of the chair and looking over at, shaking his head in silent discouragement. For the duration of the trip, Bulma had been a bit testy and more spoiled than usual. She’d make messes and ask them to clean up after her, yelled every other sentence, and ridiculed them for getting nervous when flying through a meteor storm - on autopilot, no less. The Z fighter considered himself a very tolerant man but not mentioning her inexpertise landing an alien ship last minute was about where he was drawing the line.

“You’ve never said that you didn’t know how to do something!” he pointed out as the surface of Namek came more into view. Judging from how fast they were coming down, they’d land in less than a minute. He hoped the ship could take such abuse.

“I didn’t say that I didn’t know!! I said I didn’t practice!!”

He swore he felt the bottom of the ship fall out as it suddenly began a rapid descent, falling twice as fast as it was before. Gravity seemed to have grabbed them and was bringing them down, ready or not.

“Shit!!!” Bulma yelled, pulled the controls towards her in an attempt to slow the ship. It didn’t seem to respond at all as trees were crushed under their weight. The shockwaves travelled upwards, through the floor, their chairs, and up into their bodies. “BRACE YOURSELVES!!!!!!!”

All Krillin could think was that he hoped his breakfast stayed in place as the crashing of the ship sent force upwards, but his grip on his seat forced his body downwards. Leaves and broken branches filled all of the windows and the front view of the ship as they seemingly leveled a forest and continued to mow forward.

“Kri-krillin-n-n-n!!!! Is that a cl-iffff!?!?!” Gohan stuttered through the shaking.

_Goddamnit it was._

“Bul-l-ma!!!! I have full f-f-f-aith in-n yo-u-u-u-u!!!!” he lied. 

“O-okay th-en!!!” she said with a devilish grin. Bulma then steered the direction of the ship just slightly. Krillin realized they were going to crash right into a huge tree.

“B-bul-ma!!!! Wh-at are y-ou!?!?!?”

SMASH!!!

Krillin snapped his eyes shut and tensed himself for impact when the collision happened. There was no sound of metal bending or glass breaking, and no screams or smell of smoke. He teased one eye open and while a tree did indeed fill his vision, it was leaned back, bits of bark splintered large enough that he could see from inside the ship. And they were stopped.

“Yes!!!! We made it!!! In. One. Piece.” Bulma snarkily cheered. “Doubt me again.”

All he and Gohan could do was exhale. He never realized just how much air he could hold in his lungs as belts clicked all around and the trio got up from their seats to peer out the windows. 

Namek didn’t look terribly different from Earth. There were trees, grass, and lakes, from what he could tell, though the trees seemed similar to something out of a Dr. Seuss novel. Everything was incredibly green. That was a good sign right? A sign of a healthy, thriving planet with healthy, thriving, _friendly_ people, right? His only experience with Namekians was Piccolo Daimon and Piccolo Jr. One was absolutely power-hungry and cruel, and while Piccolo Jr did turn out okay in the end, he was once not too different from his father. The monk silently wondered if all Namekians had a mean streak.

“There’s a lot of fog,” Gohan pointed out. 

Krillin nodded. As green as everything was, the color was murky due to a thick layer of fog that seemed to cover everything.

“And you’re sure this is Planet Namek?” he asked casually.

“What are you saying!? That I don’t know how to navigate a spaceship!!?!? When I’ve literally spent my entire life around ships!??!?!!” Bulma shouted from behind. 

Krillin jumped at the shrill of her voice, covering his ears. The woman didn’t exactly have a high pitched voice, but she sure could reach some notes when she was angry. And boy, was she angry a lot. 

_She probably misses Yamcha._

“It’s not that, Bulma. I just want to be sure,” he said calmly. She didn’t seem to back down though, leaning over his smaller frame and fuming so much that it seemed to come from her ears. 

“No, just spit it out!! You don’t think I’m up to snuff, do you!?” she then began to dig in her pockets. “I can’t believe you don’t trust me!!”

Behind him, Krillin’s ears picked up the cracking and snapping sounds. His brain barely registered what that meant when the ship nosedived off of the cliff. They flipped forward, screams as loud as the air ripping around the ship. The dragon radar that Bulma was holding smacked around the ship as they fell. Through the windows was nothing but the sienna tones of the mountain side. Suddenly the ship began to spin as towards their descent. This is what he was afraid of. Not an issue of Bulma’s calculations. Just unforeseeable complications. The dragon radar bounced off of the captain’s dashboard and bonked Krillin on the head. He didn’t even hear himself cry out as all went dark. 

When he didn’t feel any pain, Krillin’s first thought was that he was back in Otherworld, body-less. Then he realized that he could hear Bulma’s voice, urging him to get up. Well, Bulma would likely make it to Otherworld, however, he wasn’t sure how many Namekians he saw there last time and there were two standing over him. He sat up, realizing that not only was he still in a body but that Bulma and Gohan were next to him. The taller, skinnier Namekian grabbed the monk where his nose would have been laughing at the man’s confused stare.

“It’s a greeting here,” the smaller, more stout Namekian explained, also laughing. He and Gohan were on their feet, holding each other’s noses as though they were shaking hands.

“Oh… okay,” Krillin said and grabbed the Namekian’s nose in return. “Nice to meet you.”

It was certainly a strange greeting but perhaps he was being too… humanistic? Was that even a word? Though, it was probably odd for them to see a man with no nose.

Once everyone had let go of each other’s faces, the two Namekians introduced themselves as Raiti and Zaacro. Raiti was the shorter Namekian and a doctor, who was responsible for healing their injuries. 

The taller one, Zaacro, then beckoned them over to another room where there was a table already set for five with a large pot of soup steaming in the middle. Krillin felt his stomach growl at the sight. They’d eaten mostly MRE’s on the ship, and random bentos that got packed. Nothing quite as homemade as the smells coming from the table. 

They all made their way over, grateful for the food, but it was a bit odd. These were total strangers. He scanned the area and noted that the house was really just two rooms separated by a few feet of wall on either side. It was a very open dwelling with a black ceiling and lights every six inches all around the circular walls. Only one door. 

They each smiled and thanked their hosts as soup was poured into their bowls. It smelled eerily similar to miso soup with little greens and onions in it. 

“Is this really Planet Namek?” Bulma asked as she sipped on her soup. 

Krillin side-glanced her with a frown. So now she questions it?

“Yes it is,” Raiti answered before bringing a spoonful to his lips.

“And do all Namekians look alike? You guys look just like our friend, Piccolo,” Krillin inquired.

“Oh, yes. All Namekians do look quite similar to each other. I see Earthlings look quite different from one another,” Zaacro replied.

 _You have no idea_ , Krillin thought to himself, picturing the blue dog-man that was the king of Earth.

“So, we would like to help you find the dragon balls,” Raiti said quite suddenly.

Everyone stared over at him wide-eyed, their spoons not quite reaching their mouths.

“How’d you know about that?” Krillin asked.

A strange feeling stirred in his stomach. Everything seemed a little too convenient. The soup was a little too familiar. 

Raiti simply chuckled, chewing his food. He then lifted two fingers before him, making Gohan’s glass of ...whatever they were drinking… raise into the air above their heads and come to sit in front of him. Zaacro then lifted his fingers and a box on the table opened up, revealing cigars. One came to him to easily set between his lips. It was already lit.

Amazing as these abilities were, these two were complete strangers. Krillin shifted in his chair and watched the smoke exhale from Zaacro’s mouth. 

“We know just about everything there is to know about you three,” the Namekian stated.

The room fell silent. Krillin became aware of the breathing and heart patterns of his companions as he digested this information. It was unsettling to say the least. Not that the man had any skeletons in his closet but it seemed quite unfair for their Namekian hosts to know so much about the Earthling travelers but to be so closed-mouthed everytime a question was asked about themselves or the situation.

 _Then again, Kami knew plenty about others without being told. It makes sense since they are the same race but I still don't like how little they're telling us._

"So then, you could tell us what happened to our spaceship," Bulma inferred, raising her glass to her lips. 

“Of course,” Raiti said in a relaxed manner. “It’s safe in our storage. Did you think we were going to take advantage of you?” 

“Not at all,” the heiress shook her head. “But if we’re going to leave your planet, I do need to make sure our ship isn’t horribly damaged.”

“We can take a look after lunch,” Zaacro assured.

The rest of their meal went on without much more of a word. For this, Krillin was strangely comforted. He didn’t want any more of a show of their hosts’ abilities, nor did he really want to know what they knew about the Earthlings. 

_Man, if Yamcha were here instead of me, he’d probably be handling this better._

They made their way to the other building, which was far taller and didn’t have any windows near ground level. Once inside, there were no lights either. All light emanated from the small circular windows which dotted randomly around the upper tiers of the building, casting an eerie glow along the walls and objects that filled the storage. There were many odd looking things inside but Krillin didn’t ponder on it too much.

He noted that Gohan had said very little since arriving, and wondered if it was shyness, homesickness, or just letting the adults discuss everything. He sure was different than his sister who, while well-mannered, did not hold back her opinion.

There was the ship alright, standing tall towards the edge of the storage unit. It seemingly glowed brightly among everything else, the only grey and white object in this place. It was like a holy beacon to the monk who just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. 

Bulma got closer, walking all the way around it without a word. She was also being uncharacteristically quiet, and acting in a manner than Krillin wasn’t familiar with. Normally the woman was loud, confident, and a little obnoxious. But since the Namekians showed off their telepathic abilities, she piped down and seemed to choose her words and actions more carefully. 

“There’s just some bumps and scratches. Assuming the mainframe is also intact and the fuel hasn’t leaked anywhere, which I don’t smell, then we should be good to go,” Bulma said finally, coming all the way back around to them. “Is it okay that I open it up? I need to get the Dragon Radar.”

“Oh,” Raiti began digging in the pockets of his robe before producing the small, silver tracker. “This?” 

Krillin narrowed his eyes. That didn’t seem right.

Bulma walked over and took the radar carefully as though it might bite her. She turned it over and pushed the top button to bring up it’s coordinates. It beeped and let off a small sound every few seconds.

“How did you know to get this out too?” she asked.

Raiti just smiled and tapped the side of his head. Bulma looked from him to Krillin, who returned her uneasy gaze, then glanced at Gohan - also with a confused look - before looking down at the radar that cried for her attention.

“There’s four nearby. We better get going.” 

She put the radar in her pocket and pulled out a pack of capsules, choosing one and tossing it on the ground. From the smoke rose a modest vehicle, just big enough for four or five people, bearing Capsule Corps logo. It was almost more comforting than the sight of the ship. A piece of home. 

“May I suggest one of our vehicles,” Raiti offered. “Something so small would surely look like a meal to a lot of the local wildlife.”

Once again, putting the control more in their hands. Everything was feeling worse by the minute. 

_But maybe I’m being paranoid. They haven’t actually done anything to us, and they did heal our injuries and offer us food._

Back home, random acts of kindness weren’t that unusual. In fact, hospitality was quite normal. But Krillin just couldn’t shake the creeping in his spine. 

He watched as Bulma cast her eyes downward with a look on her face as though she were calculating. It was the same stare when she was looking over a piece of machinery that she was unfamiliar with, like the Saiyajin scouters. 

She released the capsule again and the vehicle disappeared. 

Raiti then led them to a larger, orange vehicle, leaving Zaacro behind.

“Your friend isn’t coming?” Gohan asked. 

“He’s going to go ahead and bang out the dents in your ship. Make it good as new,” the Namekian informed them as he opened the shuttle door to let them inside. He got into the driver’s seat and started up the airship. 

As they travelled over the plains of the planet, Krillin noted that the thing made a god awful noise. It was as loud as a train and didn’t quiet or relent as they flew. There was no possibility of talking amongst just the three of them, if need be. Krillin wasn’t sure why that thought occurred to him - _okay, whatever, I am letting my paranoia get to me_ \- but it was just one more thing that made him feel less and less in control of his own situation. It made him feel vulnerable. Krillin hated that. Warriors were supposed to feel strong and here he was looking over his shoulder at everything on this planet. 

The first dragon ball was easy enough to find, hiding in the bottom of a river, which Raiti graciously grabbed for them. He didn’t hesitate to hand it over or really mention anything about his help to them. Admittingly, that did make the monk feel a bit better about their situation but just barely. 

The radar then led them to some ruins a few miles off. He easily pushed aside the doorway of a tomb and the four of them went down the stone steps by flashlight, the only sound being their shoes tapping on the stone as they went. It was musty and full of cobwebs. Every few feet, they would pause and look over the glyphs on the walls, no doubt created by the earliest Namekians. 

“The ancient Namekians looked quite different,” Krillin observed, looking over the paintings. They were large with exoskeleton-type body structures and spiky heads. No antennae. 

“Ah, yes. We evolved quite a bit from our previous forms,” Raiti chuckled.

Bulma and Gohan both looked over the paintings as well, the former with much scrutiny in her face, but neither said anything. She looked back down at the radar and continued to follow the path it set for her. The tomb opened up more and the stairs came to an end. Darkness enveloped them from all sides, the flashlight their only source of light. 

Krillin thought back to all of the mummy movies he’d seen and hoped they wouldn’t come across some supernatural corpse on their way to find the dragonball. Then again, it was hard to tell what was more than three feet in front of them. 

Bulma went ahead of them slightly as the beeping from the dragon radar increased in frequency. Her flashlight then landed on a long container that sat in the middle of the floor. It was three feet high and long enough to fit a human body, adorned with drawings and jewels. 

_You’ve gotta be shitting me._

Krillin sighed, watching closely as Bulma edged towards the sarcophagus. She gulped audibly, staring down at it.

“Do you want one of us to do it, Bulma?” Gohan asked.

“N-no!!! It may be dirty and disgusting and full of dead stuff but I can do this. I’m not that much of a girl!!!” she snapped and pushed the lid aside with gusto.

His trained eyes noted her moment of hesitation and the way she gulped again before reaching her hand inside. Bulma rummaged around inside. Krillin could hear his blood pounding in his ears. Every moment felt like an eternity and he swore something would happen. He swore something would grab her and-

The flashlight dropped out of her hand as Bulma shrieked, casting them all into darkness.


	13. Admit That the Waters Around You Have Grown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuchi and friends are caught up in the fire, which brings more than injuries.
> 
> Muten Roshi reflects on Goku's youth, comparing him to young Chai.
> 
> Title comes from "The Things Are A-Changing" by Bob Dylan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I literally had so much fun writing Roshi. Think what you want.

Tsuchi wasn’t sure how many hours the four of them had played tag. It was blissful, bouncing around the bare branches of November trees and pouncing into piles of fallen leaves. They would charge into each other, yelling out “You’re IT!!!!” and making sure not to target Marron too much just because she was human. It was just like a year ago, before things started to change. Before Mai, before the Rat War, before Beerus. Things always changed though, even their game of tag.

Tsuchi did not run to keep from being tagged. She ran because the forest burned around her. The girl used her aura to keep the flames from licking at her arms but as the fire grew, her efforts were doing very little. Tsuchi was far weaker than Trunks-kun and Goten-kun - something that she was normally not ashamed of but it was quickly proving to be problematic. A flame licked at her tail and the girl yelped, jumping upwards and swallowing a mouthful of smoke. When Tsuchi landed back on the ground, her eyes watered and she choked, barely holding herself up on her hands and knees. She needed to get up. She needed to find her friends.

Unsteadily, she stood, then pushed aside a large branch that toppled over a bush, using her ki to put out the smaller flames before they joined the larger ones. The boys’ ki felt fine. Frantic and worried but they weren’t in pain. Marron’s ki felt terrified, and it came from this direction.

“Marron!!!!” Tsuchi called. 

A burning tree fell down in front of her, which the girl hopped over, making sure that her skirt and tail didn’t catch the flames as she did so. She coughed more immediately after jumping, however. 

“Marron!!!”

The smoke was getting more dense, and the sky was actually turning a slightly orange color above her. Tsuchi’s heart pounded. The little girl wasn’t as durable as the three of them. She got hurt more easily, suffocated more easily, burned more easily. 

Tsuchi found herself running faster, despite the stinging in her lungs. She desperately held onto the feeling of the girl’s ki, even as it quickly got away from her. 

“Marron!!!!!!!”

Her saiyajin ears barely picked it up, the sound hardly audible over the roaring of the wildfire as it grew. Coughing. Little, girlish coughs. Tsuchi took off in that direction and beyond an array of burning trees and shrubs, Marron’s tiny form curled on the ground, surrounded by ash and smoke. 

Tsuchi blasted down two of the trees, making just enough room to have a path to the little girl. She ran and picked her up, feeling how the girl wheezed against her shoulder. 

_This is terrible!_

“I have you, babygirl,” the saiyajin whispered, looking up to find an opening to fly into. All the treetops, however, were scorching, causing what was once branches and leaves to fall aflame, catching the grass and fallen debris around her on fire. 

Holding the delicate girl in one hand, Tsuchi focused her energy into the other hand and with a wheezing shout she blew some of the flames away with her ki. Tsuchi had to pause again, grasping Marron to her, reminding her of why she needed to get out. Why she needed to fight. When she felt okay again, the demi ran in a direction, following the fearful calls of the deer, birds, squirrels and other life that fled for safety. She’d pause, occasionally and use more ki to blast away the fire but between keeping some focus on Marron and the smoke filling her own lungs, Tsuchi was losing strength. She had to get the girl out and quickly.

Tsuchi focused more, pulling more energy from her spirit and made a path for them, pausing and blasting. It was painstakingly slow, using this method that was less powerful, but at least she wouldn’t hurt anything else while trying to get out. She could feel Marron’s ki fade more. Tsuchi’s heart pounded, trying to find a quicker way out. Why did they have to go so far into the woods?

She felt out the boys' ki again. They were separated. One, vigorous and impish, ahead of her and one, flowy and playful, a bit closer to her right. They still felt okay, though she didn’t like that they weren't together.

Tsuchi looked upward again and found the smallest bit of space where the trees separated. It was maybe a foot of space and on either side flames licked the edges cavity. It would be risky. The two of them could catch fire. She also knew the smoke would be thicker but if she could get beyond it, she could get Marron to safety. Gods, her muscles ached.

Tsuchi held Marron tightly and, using all of her strength, blasted upwards, aiming for that spot. Smoke filled her lungs more and she cradled Marron’s face into her chest to prevent the little girl from inhaling more herself. The heat seared her skin and she thought she smelled something burning as they got closer. 

The girl found herself wondering if praying to Dende would be helpful. She wished her sister was here, or Gohan, or Papa, or even Ojii-san, or the boys were more nearby. As she whooshed past the flames, she felt one reach out and lick the edges of her dress. It singed her skin as the dress touched her flesh and the girl dared not look down to see if she was actually on fire. 

Once they flew beyond the layer of smoke and fire, Tsuchi changed angles to fly beyond the edges of the forest and to safety. Her flying, however, suffered slightly. The girl coughed unrelentlessly, each time, shoving her body closer to the fire again as she would lose latitude then try to recover again. 

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The demi looked down to the source of the noise and saw two little patches of the forest where the fire was disappearing. That must have been the boys, using their ki to put out the flames. They were further in than the girl would have liked. 

She fell more, feeling her body going down, then forced herself back up. Tsuchi’s eyes stung and her vision felt hazy. Her lungs in particular agonized. This wasn’t good. She just needed to hold on a little while longer. A little bit more and they’d be beyond the flames. 

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

At least someone was trying to put it out. She felt out Marron’s vitals again and the girl was still with her. That was good. Tsuchi’s body faltered again and she caught herself as another flame curled upwards and tried to continue the ashening of her dress. 

She could see where the treetops and flowing seemed to end. Tsuchi focused on that point and put another burst of energy into her flying. Safety was closer, but the extra energy was costing her. She gasped, even as she flew. Marron’s ki was dropping. Why did she hurt so much? 

_Just a bit more._

Tsuchi felt her body falter and, overall, out of control. 

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!”

_It was just a little smoke._

Her muscles burned, begging to give out. 

Her mind wanted to let go. 

Almost there.

She saw the grass, untouched by fire. That was it. Her muscles shut down. Tsuchi had just enough concentration left to turn her body over and crash into the ground, leaving Marron no worse off. She felt the impact against her back and the breaking of earth as she came down, then Tsuchi wasn’t aware of anything at all. 

*******

“We can’t use the dragonballs. There's seven more months until they’re even viable.”

_Oba-san?_

_My skin stings._

“What about the animals? They don’t have homes anymore.”

_Futago-kun._

Tsuchi blinked but the brightness stung her eyes, making her snap them shut again and groan, rolling away from the light.

“Are there parts of the forest that weren’t harmed? Maybe we can relocate them to another forest.”

“I don’t know, Trunks. That could mess with the habitat if there isn’t enough food or territory.”

_One-chan._

Tsuchi tried her eyes again, opening one just a little. She saw the inside of some kind of hospital room. Why was… fear gripped her heart as she sat straight up.

“Ma’on!!!” Tsuchi choked over a tube that was in her mouth. Her throat constricted and she wheezed. Two hands, slightly bigger than hers, and one darker than the other, tried to pull her back down. 

“Tsu-chan, c’mon. Lay down,” Trunks-kun urged.

“Futago-chan!! Don’t hurt yourself,” Goten-kun cried.

“Wha-wha..” the girl cried. She was confused. 

_What is going on!?_

_Where is Marron?!_

Bulma made her way over, white lab coat swinging at her heels. “Sweetie, lay back down or you’ll pull out the suction.”

Tsuchi did as she was told, repeating the little girl’s name. Bulma checked and adjusted the breathing tube. “Marron’s okay. You, however, inhaled an excessive amount of smoke.” the woman assured. 

“You’re the reason she’s still alive, Imouto-chan,” Chai said. Tsuchi couldn’t quite see the woman from her vantage point but she could hear her. 

The girl sat up again, more slowly but she got scolded again. 

“Do you really need to sit up?” the lavender-haired boy snapped.

Tsuchi just crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him pleadingly. Trunks-kun sighed, shaking his head, and grabbed a pillow from another bed a few feet away. Goten-kun helped her sit forward just enough so that it could be propped behind her enough to see but not too much to pull on the tube inside her. 

She looked around. Goten-kun and Trunks-kun were both bandaged in a few places but neither looked as bad as she felt. They sat next to her, behind them a large humming machine attached to clear tubes that ran down and into her mouth where Bulma was readjusting her. 

Across from her, Chai-san and Trunks-san sat at a table and watched the scientist work. Her sister’s tail was loosely looped around her leg, and Tsuchi immediately felt ashamed. She didn’t mean to worry anyone.

“I hope you don’t plan to take up smoking,” Chai commented.

Trunks-san rolled his eyes at her and turned to the trio of demi’s. “You guys did good work taking out the fire.”

Tsuchi pointed at her mouth with the tube and made a sort of whining sound. The blanket lifted slightly as her tail flicked under it.

“Too much smoke caused water to begin to fill in your lungs. In most people it’s fatal but for you, you’ll probably be out of here by the end of the night. Chi-Chi is eager to take you home but Goten refused to leave you.”

“I’M TELLING YOU GREY!!!! MY CHILDREN DID NOT CAUSE THAT FIRE!!!!!” Oka-san screamed from not-too-far-off.

“Speaking of…” Bulma tilted her head to the side.

“I will be the judge of that, dear woman. Now if you’ll excuse me, Your Highness,” an accented voice responded. He did not yell but he was just as loud as Mama.

“Earl Grey!! You go through that door and you’ll regret it!!!” Chi-Chi yelled as the door opened.

In seconds, several things happened. The door opened. Both demi boys got to their feet and powered up as much as they could without going Super Saiyajin. All Tsuchi could assume was that they wanted to give a display of power, of intimidation, without revealing too much. Earl Grey, a man in his late forties with narrow features, a square jaw and receding black hair, stepped inside. His eyes darted about the room and read the situation quickly, all pretense dropping from his aura. The two older demi’s did not move or speak, staying in the background. The girl was not even sure if he knew they were there. Oba-san, however, got deep into his face, even as she stood on tiptoe to do so.

“Excuse you! Who the hell do you think you are?! Waltzing into my home and shouting all over the place!! I have an exhausted little girl sleeping two rooms over and if you wake her, you’re going to be sorry!!!”

“I.. pardon me? Ma’am, I am a servant of His Majesty, King Cappu and I am here on official business.” Grey said, face full of shock.

“I don’t care if you’re the king, himself!!! I don’t care if you’re the King of Earth!!! Of the damned multi-universe!!! You don’t just come in here like you own the place!!!”

“I love your mother,” Tsuchi heard Chai whisper to Trunks-san with a satisfied smile.

_Indeed. Bulma is the Saiyajin queen we deserve._

She saw him glance between his mother and Chai with a prideful smirk. Trunks-kun, next to her, held the same expression.

Grey simply nodded, not taking his eyes from the bluenette. “Apologies, madam.” he then turned to Tsuchi and she could see the discomfort in his face. “Excuse the intrusion, Your Highness,” he bowed.

The girl sat straighter, not blinking. She gestured to a chair on the other side of her bed then turned to the boys and gestured to their chairs as well. All three sat, though the Earl kept a respectful distance from the princess. 

Chi-Chi then came into the room, huffing and rolling up her sleeves. She glared at the Earl, a snarl on her lips but did not speak. Similarly, Bulma sided up to her, arms crossed over her chest.

“I was sent on the behalf of His Majesty, King Cappu, however, I was not aware of your condition.”

The girl frowned around the tube in her mouth as her tail slithered around her waist. Did he think they hadn’t heard him?

“I MADE you aware of her CONDITION. YOU did not LISTEN,” Chi-Chi scolded.

Earl Grey bowed his head to Oka-san then turned back to the princess. “Forgive me, Your Highness but His Majesty is concerned about how that fire started. Much of the damage occurred within his borders, and He recently refused Her Majesty, Queen Chai, help.”

Tsuchi simply blinked at him. How on earth he thought they were going to have any kind of discussion was beyond her understanding. She waved her hand at him to continue when a voice scolded from several feet away.

“And so His Majesty has you barge into Her Highness’s medical quarters, making accusations that His Majesty does not have enough sack, himself, to make? Is that what you are getting at, Earl Grey?” Chai said from her spot.

The Earl lost quite a bit of his color and hesitated before getting up. He walked slowly, as though he’d suddenly aged forty more years, stopping just before the queen and bowing. “Your Grace, forgive me.”

Tsuchi realized that she would never have that effect on others. She didn’t have an intimidating bone in her body. Something to work on, she supposed.

Chai sat straight, her hand on the arm of the chair as she gazed down at him. It did not matter that it was a stock metal chair and not a throne, nor that she wore civilian clothes rather than a lavish gown. She exuded the presence of a queen, deciding on the fate of someone who offended her. Chai tapped her fingers then nodded to him.

“On your feet. I know that you cannot help your orders, or the idiocy of your king.”

He rose and Chai kept his eye contact as he spoke.

“You’re too kind, Your Majesty.”

Just then, the door opened again and a tiny voice called out, “Bulma-san? Chai-san?”

The queen’s voice took on another register, soft and soothing. “Baby, Tsu-chan is awake. I think she’d enjoy your company.”

Marron stepped in. She was easily the best looking, with just a bit of char on her clothes. In fact, no part of her looked damaged at all. And she seemed as alert as ever. The girl looked to the medical bed with a huge smile, then ran up and jumped into Tsuchi’s chest. The princess gagged a little on the tubes, the boys snickering behind her, but then wrapped an arm around Marron as the girl cuddled up to her. _You’re so cute_ , Tsuchi thought to herself as she booped their noses together. The little girl giggled, cornflower hair swaying as she did so.

Chai turned back to the courtier. “Right, Queen Bitchpants. Earl Grey, you’re an intelligent man. Tell me, why would these four start a fire, then put themselves in danger by trying to put it out and rescue the animals? You can clearly see the condition the princess is in.”

“It.. does not make sense, Your Majesty.”

“Good, now perhaps you can get out of my sight and report your findings to His Majesty. Find that scarecrow a brain while you’re at it.”

The Earl bowed quickly then backed out of the room like a bat out of hell, closing the door behind him.

“Why is everyone afraid of you, One-san?” Goten asked.

“Because I’m the meanest monarch at the table.” Chai answered, casually.

“It was amazing!! You had him shaking at the sight of you!!” Trunks-kun cried.

“But why?” Goten-kun furthered.

“No one took me seriously, otherwise. It’s acceptable for a king to rule by himself but not a queen.”

Tsuchi squirmed. She could not see herself being mean enough to rule as her sister did. Chai was a warrior, first and foremost, a trait which allowed the woman to stave off other kingdoms from coming into her territory and be able to avoid war by reminding others that she would cost them thousands of soldiers and zeni just to lose. Tsuchi simply wasn't that way. She hated fighting and there was an undisclosed complication to her being married off. She would though, if she had to.

“Why have you never married any of them? There must have been one you found acceptable,” Trunks-san asked.

Chai turned and looked at him seriously before smiling. “You, of all people, should know."

Bulma moved back over to the bed and began to listen to the princess’ lungs with a stethoscope. In the time that she’d been awake, her lungs already felt lighter. She gazed over at Marron while oba-san examined her. She was glad that the girl was unmarred but didn’t understand how. If this was the condition Tsuchi was in, then Marron should have barely been alive. 

“I think we can remove this,” Bulma said, putting the stethoscope around her neck. She turned off the machine, “Chi-Chi, its late if you guys want to stay for dinner then just head home. You could even stay here if you wanted for the night.”

“I appreciate that, Bulma-san. We’ll stay for dinner.”

The bluenette nodded then turned back to Tsuchi. “Sweetie, open as wide as you can for me.”

Removing the tube was one of the most uncomfortable experiences Tsuchi had but she was glad for it to be gone. Her throat was a bit sore but at least she could speak and move around. They’d gone to the terrace where Mai and her friends were helping set food. Tsuchi frowned, feeling a little guilty for how much she disliked the group but she couldn’t help not trusting them. Seeing them set out food though, and being helpful rather than sneaking around was refreshing. 

At the balcony was also 18-san and Krillin-san. Marron saw them and immediately ran for her parents. 18-san crouched to scoop up her daughter, the joy clear on the android’s face. Tsuchi was almost swept into their happiness when a loud metal clang sounded behind her, drawing everyone’s attention back to the patio door.

“Chai, move!” Future Trunks commanded.

His sword was halfway drawn from it’s sheathe, his eyes darting between the woman before him and the little family ahead of him. Pressed against his blade was Chai’s sai, her own weapon inches from the top of his head. Her tail was tightly wound, like when she fought. Concentration poured off of her like water overfilling a jug.

_What?! Are they going to fight?!?_

“Trunks, you are not in that timeline right now. That is not the same 18.”

He gritted his teeth and stared above her head at the android. That warm ki blazed and the calm was now utter stillness. “How can you say that?! Her and 17 killed everyone!! All of Earth’s defenders!! My father!!! Gohan!! You -”

“Trunks, I’m in front of you.” Chai then slowly reached up and touched the side of his face. “I’m flesh and blood. I’m not dead. You’re in this timeline.”

Tsuchi understood the more pensive version a little more. She had already suspected that he didn’t have a Goten or a Tsuchi, simply because he didn’t look at them in the same haunted matter that he looked at Gohan and Chai. She didn’t quite realize that her older siblings were dead in his timeline, however, or that he was necessarily close to those versions. 

Now that she thought about it, he looked at Vegeta-san with just as much uncertainty as he did when he looked at the twins. In fact, his relationship to the man was nothing like his miniature’s relationship to him. It was almost as if...

She looked over at her Trunks who stared at the scene before them. She couldn’t read his expression, which was rare, but she was glad that he didn’t go through what his counterpart seemed to have gone through. That he didn’t have to grow up without a father, or could sympathize with the time traveller in a way that Tsuchi and Goten could.

Closer to the balcony, 18-san spoke. “Sounds like that version of me was a total bitch.” She then glanced down at her husband. “Krillin-san, you didn’t tell him about Marron and me. I’m a bit hurt,” she teased.

Trunks-san wouldn’t move or look down at Chai. It also seemed as though he wasn’t quite seeing 18 and Krillin interact. The warrior shook, rage burning in his eyes. Chai grasped his chin a little more firmly and turned his face downwards to look at her, at first in mild shock then he began to calm. She had whispered something but the princess didn’t understand. _Ve’ho myo._ The saiyajin’s body heaved a little less and his ki eased up.

“You killed those androids. You got your revenge,” Chai said, gently.

Trunks-san nodded, staring down at her. The rage was also burning off. The queen continued to hold his gaze. 

“Are you with me?”

He nodded once more.

She then ran her hand through his hair, making him close his eyes. Tsuchi found this oddly intimate of her sister. _‘In the past’ she said. Rubbish._ Soon, his ki returned to the calm, warm vibration that she’d begun to associate the time traveller with.

“Then put away your sword because you are not killing Krillin’s wife,” Chai said, pulling her weapon away from his.

“Krillin’s what!?!” he said, pushing the blade back in with a cling.

“Yeah,” the small monk said, nervously. “18-san and I have been married about ten years now.” 

“I..I see.” he then bowed slightly. “Forgive me.”

“It’s fine, Trunks. It’s been a long time, and in your world, I was your enemy,” 18-san smiled, coyly.

The android then scooped up Marron firmly and walked towards the older saiyajin. Marron hung around her mother’s neck, completely unaware of what just occurred. He visibly tensed as she approached him, a smug smile appearing on the woman’s face. Tsuchi shook her head. 18-Obasan could be so cruel.

“I heard that you healed Marron when you found her.”

_Come again?!_

He stiffly nodded. “She was near death.”

“Thank you,” she smiled before walking past him and into the house. She stopped then just inside the door. “I would have enjoyed a little spar with that sword of yours.”

“Perhaps… next time...” he said, not turning to her.

“I guess it must be weird to you, huh?” Krillin said, walking up to the young man.

“A bit but I’m glad you’re married now, Krillin-san. Are you happy?”

“Yeah, I am. She can be a bit tough on me but I love her. And I got a cute kid out of the deal.” Oji-san laughed. “Well, we better get going. It’s good to see you, man.”

“I’m sure I’ll see you again before I leave.”

Tsuchi could have sworn that she felt her sister deflate at those words. 

“Sissy, are you okay?” Goten-kun asked as the smaller demi’s began to sit.

“Yeah. I’m just hungry.” the woman turned to the three humanoids still setting the table. “You guys ought to sit. You’ve been doing this for a while, it looks like.” 

“Oh, thank goodness,” Shu exclaimed.

“I’m hungry too, One-chan. I haven’t eaten in three hours!!” Goten-kun whined. 

“Oh you poor baby!!” Tsuchi chided to her twin, patting his head with her tail. 

He waved it off with his own. “Tha’s a long time to a saiyajin, Futago!!”

“No, that’s a long time to you and Papa. You each put away more than Gohan-san, Chai-san, and myself combined.”

Everyone laughed at the bickering twins, Chai ushering Mai, Pilaf, and Shu to sit so she could take over what they were doing. Tsuchi was shocked at how contented her sister, the godsdamned Ox Queen, looked as she set food at the table like a bustling housewife. Like, their mother. She looked over at Chi-Chi who looked equally surprised but also somewhat pleased.

“Now, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were ready to have a family,” Chi-Chi commented.

Tsuchi couldn’t help but laugh at her mother. She was never going to give this up. The girl then paused in horror when she realized that eventually _she_ would be the one her mother nagged for children, and oh the conversation that would be.

“Mom, I swear to Dende, if you keep this up, I’m going to lock myself into the atrium with the cats and dinosaurs.”

“Now, Chai-chan. Why do you resist the idea of marriage? Gohan-chan is married!!”

“I don’t resist the idea of marriage, Oka-san. I resist the idea of loveless marriage. Marriage simply for the sake of having an heir and pleasing you.”

“You don’t know that it would be loveless!! If you would just give anyone else a chance-”

“Chi-Chi…” Bulma-obasan side-eyed.

“I’m sorry, Bulma-san. I want the same thing but it’s unrealistic and unreasonable. It’s simply best for Chai-”

“Goodnight!!” 

And with that, Chai sat down the last plate and left. Tsuchi could only assume she went to her room.

“Mama, must you push her?” Tsuchi asked.

“I just want her to be happy,” Chi-Chi sighed.

“I apologize, Chi-Chi-san.” Mirai Trunks said suddenly. “If I would have known… I wouldn’t have... I never meant to mess things up for Chai-san.. I just…”

“There is nothing wrong with loving my sister,” Tsuchi heard herself say before she could think about it. She was in mild embarrassment at her forwardness but someone had to say it.

“Tsuchi-chan, how-”

The older saiyajin cut himself off and looked up towards the sky, a scowl quickly spreading across his face. He scooted his chair out and stood. The patio door opened as Chai reappeared, also staring towards the sky. 

Moments later, the smaller demis also looked up. Tsuchi could feel it. The presence wasn’t too powerful - or maybe it was since she could feel it this far out - but it was a selfish, evil presence. There was a streak of something else too in the ki. Something she couldn’t name but it made her skin crawl. Worse, it felt familial.

17 Years Earlier

“This turtle shell weighs a ton!!” Chai-chan moaned, strapping the hunking weight over her shoulders.

“Actually, it weighs 100 lbs,” Roshi laughed. “Your dad did it so you can do it.”

The girl glanced over at the hermit with an expression that reminded him of Chi-Chi more than Goku. Goku took everything with stride. In fact, the old master couldn’t remember the boy complaining once. That was mostly Krillin’s arena. No, the look was one of “challenge accepted”, and it was one that Chi-Chi wore when her father trained her - a sight that Roshi caught quite a bit in her teenage years when he’d visit Gyumao.

“Now then, I want you to run around the island 100 times. Don’t fall into the water. You fall and you start over.”

Chai’s eyes got huge and she opened her mouth as though to speak. Roshi raised his eyebrows at her. The girl closed her mouth and nodded before going closer to the edge and started her running. It was slow and pitiful but as long as she did it, she’d be strong in no time. 

Son Chai made 57 laps so far, and hadn’t fallen in once. She did wobble a few times and Roshi got a little hopeful she’d fall just to see if she had more of her mother’s angry expressions. _Even angry, Ox girls are awfully cute._ She used that tail well though. She’d whip it out immediately and linger it on the sandy side to rebalance herself then rewind it around her waist. Roshi looked up as Gyumao came outside, looking exasperated. 

“Muten Roshi-sama, I’m sorry to cut our visit short but it seems Goku-san is missing.”

“Hmmm, alrighty then.”

Roshi blew his whistle and Chai froze. She bent to her knees and heaved, sweat beading along her face. He thought he even saw a little drip from the end of her tail.

“Hit the showers, girly. You and your grandpa need to search for your dad,” the hermit said, getting up.

Chai-chan nodded and slowly made her way into the house, dropping off the shell at the door as she went in.

“Have you… considered my favor, Master?” Gyumao asked, quietly.

Roshi gazed out into the ocean. The sun glinted on the waves as they rippled across the width of the sea. It went on forever. His own personal moat to his own hide away. This was a luxary most couldn’t afford, and my, hadn’t he enjoyed this luxary for quite some time?

“Indeed, Gyumao. Of course, I’ll help.”

The two left soon afterwards. It amazed Roshi the lengths the girl was going to to get just a bit of training each week but he supposed that was where she was like her father. Goku was so hardworking and serious when it came to the martial arts. 

When Roshi had gotten up the next morning, he woke with the sun as he did in th days of his youth and began with a bit of tai-chi to stretch his muscles. Something he hadn’t done in some time. The trouble in the Ox Kingdom weighed on his mind. Actually, the trouble had barely brushed the borders of Fire Mountain, but it seemed that Gyumao wanted to squash it before it became a bigger problem. Even so, the schemes he mentioned were horrible. Even to an old pervert like Kame Sennin.

It had been quite some time since the Turtle Hermit had been called on to fight. In fact, the last time he could remember fighting for something other than money, glory, or women, was a little over 12 years ago, and even then, he served as not much more than a type of shaman rather than a martial artist.

The old man kept up his training, always trying to improve himself and make the kamehameha more powerful but that was a far cry from engaging in battle. Still, those thugs from the Rooster and Dragon Kingdoms shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the old master. If only Goku were better, he’d wipe the floor with them, but Roshi was not even sure if Gyumao had told his son-in-law about what was happening. They seemed to prefer to keep the boy in their back pocket for larger issues, like saiyajins. And that was fine. Roshi was not entirely out of commission.

He’d been standing at the edge of the beach, with Clove in an aircraft about 50 miles towards the water. Every few minutes, Roshi would unleash a kamehameha, spreading the water like Moses and Clove would report how far each one would go. It wasn’t a perfect measurement of power, and admittingly, he’d rather be spreading legs, but he could still remember how hard the blast was on his body at max power. 300 years old was no spring chicken, and he might need to wield it at that level. Preferably without keeling over.

The door slammed behind him and the ki he registered was quite small but not too friendly. 

“Old man!!! You been at this for hours!!! Now, normally, I don’t give a shit but since you’ve been at it for hours, my boy’s also been at it for hours and it’s damned time you two ate something!!!!” Launch-san shouted at him.

Launch-san’s cooking had improved, Roshi was happy to find. After a delicious lunch of beef udon, the hermit took to the city. He hadn’t visited Goku in a few days and was wondering how the boy was faring since trying to escape the day beforehand. 

He was tickled to find that Goku was mostly well, and yet Chi-Chi was still giving him an earful about trying to leave.

“I swear, Goku-sa!!! How do you expect to get better!!? You had me worried sick!!”

“”Aw, Chi-Chi. I feel fine.”

“You still have two dislocated vertebrae!!”

“It’s justa few bones.”

“It’s part of your spine, which keeps you standing straight!!!!”

“Mama, it’s nearly lunchtime,” Chai-chan interrupted. “Let’s get something and bring Papa back some food.”

Goku’s eyes got huge and Roshi couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, yes!! Chi, wouldya please!!!!” Goku turned to his wife, his hands pressed together.

“Hmph!! Fine, but you better be here when I get back!!”

Once the women left, the large warrior turned to Roshi.

“How’s Chai’s training, Old Man?”

“Not bad, considering she only makes it over a few times a week,” Roshi answered. “I kind of wonder if she’s managing to train on her own.”

The man laughed and put his hands behind his head. “I guess she’s a chip off the old block in that way.”

“Yup, I already got her up to the 100 pound shell. She came to me nearly as strong as you were when you first started.”

“Started what?!”

Both men looked up. Chi-Chi stood in front of the door, shaking.

“Well?!” she demanded.

“Now, Chi-Chi, don’t get mad-”

Roshi covered his ears, staff still in hand as Chi-Chi bellowed out for her daughter.

“SON CHAI!!!! YOU GET IN HERE THIS INSTANT!!!!!!!!”

My, the woman had some lungs on her. The old master was just happy that she didn’t have a pan or rolling pin on hand once she got ‘round to the smackin’. It filled him with a little bit of pride that his lessons passed down to the Ox King’s daughter but he did kinda wish he was the one to teach her. Perhaps coulda’ gotten a few caresses in before she was old enough to really hurt the old geezer. Speakin’ of hurt, he hoped she didn’t figure that he’d been training her also. 

He picked up his hat and the sweets he brought, eyeing the door. Quickly, he made his decision and got up.

“Well, Goku, Chi-Chi, this seems like a family matter, and I really shouldn’t-”

“YOU STAY RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!”

“Yes ma’am,” Roshi bowed his head.

The young girl peeked into the room before coming in. She looked very ladylike in her red cheongsam with blue fasteners, and though Roshi was not one to look at prepubescent girls, he could appreciate that Chai would be ripe and lovely in just a few years.

“Mama?” she asked with a smile.

Chi-Chi then crossed the room with a downward strike to the girl’s neck, which Chai immediately blocked with her forearm. _Not bad._ Too bad the girl gave herself away, as she seemed to be realizin’ as her face paled. 

Chi-Chi then came ‘round the other side with a palm strike that Chai ducked under. Roshi’s keen eyes caught how the girl eyed her mother’s ankles for just a moment - _good, she’s developing instincts_ \- before remembering that was her mother and her mother would deliver quite the ass whoopin’ if she thought Chai turned delinquent. 

Mother and daughter stared at each other, and though the look Chai wore said she knew she was in trouble, she wasn’t backing down. And what else would one expect from a child of Goku and Chi-Chi? Chi-Chi was nothin’ but fire and Goku wasn’t one to give up. 

The matriarch then put her hands on her hips and burrowed her gaze into the girl. “I thought I told you that you weren’t to be training.”

“You did,” the girl acknowledged, dropping her stance.

“So you go to Roshi’s and train?! When you should have been going to the Ox Kingdom!?”

“I did both. I cut an hour out of my time at the kingdom to go train under Muten-Roshi-sama,”

The woman then whipped around to face Gyumao who put his hands up in defense. “And how exactly did she get you to agree, Dad!?!!? I swear, you spoil Chai so much!!!!”

“Well.. Chi-Chi, dear, it was my idea.”

“WHAT!!?!?!?”

“Look at the good it did you!! You can defend your family when Goku isn’t around! And look how young and healthy it keeps you, after two children, even!!” Gyumao cried, scrambling for reasons and backing away from his daughter.

Yup, this right here. This was why Roshi never married. Having women around was fine and dandy - more than fine and dandy, hehe - but boy did they get feisty about everything. 

“Chi-Chi is it really so bad?” Goku asked from the bed.

_Bad idea, boy._

Roshi sighed and took the chair farthest from the warrior’s side. Chi-Chi was bound to get to him eventually but he’d like to receive his own punishments and not get a bit from her whalin’ on her husband. 

“Is it so bad, Goku-sa? Is it so bad that our daughter is lying to me? Is it so bad that she is disobeying me? Is it so bad that she is trying to go off and get into fights and get killed like you do!?!?!? TELL ME, GOKU, IS THAT SO BAD!?!!”

“Well, no. But you weren’t gonna just let her train. And it’s good for her. You saw how much stronger she’s gettin’,” he shrugged.

“SON GOKU IF YOU WEREN’T ALREADY IN THE HOSPITAL, I’D PUT YOU IN THE HOSPITAL!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Mama, leave Papa alone!! He hardly even knew!! It was all me, Ojii-san, and Roshi-sama!!” Chai shouted from the side. 

Roshi nearly fell out of his chair as Chai shouted this. He was really hoping to get away unscatched and she just had to go remindin’ her mama. 

“AND YOU!!!”

_Kami, I swear, I will burn all of my dirty books. Just let me live a while longer._

“I swear, Roshi!! I swear if you so much as looked at Chai the wrong way, I will cook you up and serve you to King Yemma!!!”

“Now, Chi-Chi,” Roshi gripped his hat and bowed his head to her. “I swear, I did no such thing. I know she’s just a girl, and she’s your girl. I swear, Gyumao kept an eye on me the whole time.”

“Hmmph!!” she huffed with her hands on her hips.

Roshi risked a glance up and the woman smacked him a good one upside his bald head. “Ow!!! Oh!!! What was that for?!”

“Just in case,” she snapped before turning back to her daughter. “You do not leave the house without me! I do not care if grandpa or your dad are with you!! Everytime you leave, I am going with you! No more of this sneaking around and training!! You will end it right now!!”

“Well, Mama, in that case, you’re going to have to accompany me to Roshi’s occasionally,” Chai said calmly.

“And why, exactly, is that?!”

_Yes, why is that?_

“You remember saying that you wanted Gohan-kun and I to have more friends?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m becoming friends with Launch-san and Clove-san. They live there right now, and isn’t Launch-san a friend of yours, Mama?”

********

That was about how Roshi got not just one, but two lovely ladies in his kitchen, makin’ wonderful meals and fresh tea. The smells from the kitchen were just delicious and the scene on the tube equally so, as he sat at the couch with Oolong and Gyumao, while Chai and Clove sat at the other couch, a ‘respectful distance from each other’ as Chi-Chi put it.

“Whatcha ladies cookin?” Roshi asked, his nose to the air to sniff. 

“Pork dumplings. And ramen with pork belly, egg and leeks,” Launch asked, her voice sweet as ever. 

She had been findin’ a little solace here on the island with the old man and the pig, especially with the young man around, who Roshi found open-minded and clever. Not only did he not mind the hermit’s tastes, but he occasionally challenged him at chess and mahjong. 

“Anything without pork?” Oolong asked, with annoyance.

“Sesame bread and curry!!” Chi-Chi added, brightly.

“He-he, that Jackie Chun sure is something, isn’t he?” Roshi exclaimed. 

They watched as he delivered a final blow to a relatively young Yamucha, winning the match. That was the 21st Tenkaichi Tournament.. Or was it the 22nd? Roshi wasn’t sure now but he well remembered the fight. Too bad he was getting a bit too old to challenge these young men in incognito. His own students had already surpassed him, and truly that was the bigger accomplishment. Still, the good ole days.

“Something indeed, Roshi-sama,” Clove agreed. 

It had seemed as though the two pre-teens were watching along but the hermit’s ears had been picking up their whispered conversation for a few minutes now.

“I don’t want to get my grandpa into any more trouble,” Chai whispered.

“Then how do you plan to uncover what's going on? It could be better for you not to know,” Clove replied.

“You sound like them. If I’m going to be queen, then I need to know what's going on. How can they trust me to lead a village if they don’t want to tell me things?”

“True enough. It sounds dangerous, whatever it is.”

“You want in?”

A small smile appeared on the boy’s face. It could have been mistaken for him simply enjoying the fight.

“I’ve been cooped up a bit. Perhaps we visit the Ox Kingdom together? Visit your friends, Basil and Cinna?”

“I don’t know that we can get anything out of them.”

“I don’t know that you’ve been trying hard enough.”

Roshi chuckled to himself, but no one thought anything of it. The girl really was turning out like her father. Now that he thought about it, Chai was even younger than Goku was when he single-handedly took down the Red Ribbon Army. Those bastards had been runnin’ into him for a few years, chasing after the dragonballs as much as he was and though the Red Ribbon boys were pure evil, Goku had no thoughts on exterminating them, not until they went too far. Killing Bora, who guarded Korin Tower, was the last straw for the boy. It was also what ultimately drove him to seek how powerful he could become and then take down the biggest army on the face of the earth.

Chai was proving to be quite similar. No doubt, she knew that the Ox Kingdom had many troubles with the Dragon Kingdom, but now that they were taking girls from Fire Mountain, the girl was getting involved. The old hermit shuddered to think what she would do once she figured the entire scheme out. 

His eyes glinted behind his shades as he imagined that fiery girl reaching Korin and eventually Popo to become stronger. She’d be a little hellion, hehe. 

Of course, with Chi-Chi’s eagle eye on her girl, there was no way for Chai to make such a pilgrimagge and perhaps that would be for the best. Let the girl carve out her own path, and not follow her father’s footsteps. 

_She can possibly take down the traffickers though. Maybe even just as she is. That saiyajin blood is quite the equalizer._

11 years old, and here she was, scheming to get around her mother and grandpa to find out what they wont tell her. Gatherin’ her own little group of allies. He’d even overheard her last week when she told Clove that she was trainin’ in order to defend her kingdom, as though she already knew what was to come. Maybe the girl overheard more than Gyumao thought she did.

_You’ll grow to be a force to reckon with, Chai. Just like your father. Just like your-_

“Mama!” Chai suddenly called.

“Yes, Chai-chan?” Chi-Chi called back.

“Could Clove-san and I go to the Ox Kingdom tomorrow? I think he might find it interesting. I also think he’ll get along with Cinna especially.”

“Sure, honey. It’s been a while since I’ve visited anyways. I wonder how the kingdom is doing.”


	14. Growing Beneath It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did someone order a Tree of Might??? 
> 
> Also, Bulma and friends continue their search for the Dragonballs on... Namek... yeah, Namek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this chapter took!! My work schedule has gotten crazy with the holidays and yeah, so here's Chapter 13.
> 
> Title comes from "Let The Flames Begin" by Paramore.
> 
> Again, Rate and Review =)

“It doesn’t seem to be coming any closer,” Future Trunks observed.

 _Wonderful, now stay there._

Tsuchi sat back down, looking at but not seeing her empty plate. They hadn’t even a chance to touch their food before more bad news arrived, as though destined to spoil appetites.

“We’ll keep an eye on it,” Chai-san added then looked along the edge of the table where Tsuchi sat between her brother and her friend. “If it comes down, you three stay away.”

“I don’t wanna go near it. It feels creepy,” Goten-kun grimaced.

That it did. The feeling was like when someone stares at you from afar. It crawled along Tsuchi’s skin, making her cover her arms, then move to cover her bare throat and any other exposed skin. Her tail wrapped around her waist protectively, as though something may reach out from the shadows and grab it.

“It’s not even that powerful,” Chibi Trunks sneered.

“I don’t care. You three are still healing from other injuries and it would be foolish to jump into battle,” One-san replied.

“Whoever it is could also be downplaying their ki,” Trunks-san pointed out.

“Well,” Mama folded her arms. “I’m glad to be hearing some sense outta you.” She then leaned over to talk directly to the twins. “If I find out you two go to fight, you’re going to be in big trouble, understood?”

The young Sons nodded their heads rapidly. They were in agreement that they didn’t want to go near it. Though if it came down and began to hurt people, then what they wanted didn’t really matter at that point. 

“Well, hang on. Aren’t you all jumping to conclusions? Whoever it is could just be taking a picture and they’ll leave,” Pilaf said, optimistically.

Oba-san shook her head. “It’s better to be cautious.”

Chai came closer to the table, arms crossed over her chest and tail swishing behind her. She knew more than anyone how their hearts functioned. The stories the three cubs grew up hearing about their fathers, and the two oldest Sons were legendary among them. There were even a few that Chai told about “a time-travelling warrior”. It only took meeting Future Trunks to realize who the stories were about. These tales all worked to inspire the three to want to fight for good and be heroes. 

“Promise me,” she said. She stared all three cubs in the face. “Promise me that if that ship lands, you let the adults handle it.”

“We promise.” 

“On your tails.”

“On our tails,” Goten-kun and Tsuchi replied.

Trunks-kun said nothing, instead smirking. Chai shook her head at him. “You had a tail once. Vegeta still mourns that it was removed. Probably keeps it in a box somewhere”

“On my tail,” he sighed.

Chai then pulled up a chair between Mai and Shu and across from her baby sister. On the near end Mama hrrumped. “I thought you were going to bed.”

“There’s a UFO in my atmosphere, but one word on marriage or babies and I will.”

It didn’t take long for the conversation to turn towards the wildfires, which the boys readily answered. It quickly digressed into the two of them trading narrations as though it were an action movie rather than a natural disaster, animating on the way they cleared the flames with ki and jumping over death-defying falling trees and the animals they rushed from the forest as it burned. Tsuchi saw no reason to join in on their tale. She didn’t have quite the amount of fun they had and so she just chewed at her food, and allowed their voices to fade into the background. She hardly even noticed that they came to the end of the event when Mai spoke up. 

“You can heal people?” she asked, starry-eyed. 

“Yeah,” Mirai Trunks answered, shifting in his seat. He didn’t quite look at her as he continued. “Unfortunately it’s limited because I never finished training with Shin and Kibito so I have to choose carefully when to use it. I never regret healing a person but sometimes I wish I saved it for someone else.”

The conversation eventually trailed off completely though Tsuchi knew everyone was silently tracking the energy that emitted from the sky, just as she was. It did not budge, nor did it shift in strength, but no one spoke of it. Eventually the Son twins gathered into their mother’s car and returned home. Tsuchi couldn’t help but wonder why the energy felt familial. Papa was the only member of his birth family alive. That reminded the girl of Yerba and Matei and how her family suddenly became a little smaller. 

The girl sprawled in her bed, the covers snug around her. Growing up, she didn’t spend that much time with either one but they were present in her life. Celebrations at the castles, birthdays, coronations. Yerba was warm and generous, giving congratulations and gifts. At more private functions, he could be seen hugging members of the Ox family. Matei was a bit more removed - less affectionate - but he would still observe and talk to Goten-kun and herself.

 _‘He killed Yerba.’_ She could still hear the graveness in One-san’s voice as she told them this.

And One-san killed Matei.

_And now everything is ruined._

“Tsuchi,” Goten called from the other side.

The girl got up, cloaking herself in the blanket and opened the door for her twin. She chuckled, seeing him covered in his own blanket and balancing a pizza box on his tail. Funny, she thought they finished that two nights ago. Tsuchi motioned him in where Goten adeptly hopped on the bed with a squeak from the mattress.

“Yamucha’s going to be especially upset that we didn’t eat his pineapple chicken,” she mentioned, crawling close to her brother. 

“I thought we’d eat it after this.”

Tsuchi picked up a slice and shrugged. Mmm… pepperoni and green pepper.

“You weren’t asleep, were you?” the boy asked.

Tsuchi shook her head.

“Are you okay?” 

The end of his tail enfolded around hers.

“I’m not coughing. My lungs feel fine. I don’t feel my burns,” the princess lied. In actuality, her legs and arms stung from where she got too close to the fire.

Goten pulled the leg of his pants to his calf where a larger bandage was taped on. The surrounding area shined from ointment. 

“Bulma-san said this would scar,” he said, proudly. 

“I’m not allowed to scar,” she recalled, feeling one wrapped burn on her thigh.

Goten-kun shook his head. “One-san said a few scars wouldn’t be a big deal, and if they were, then that prince was too prissy for you.”

“I’m not worried about impressing a prince.”

“Then, what -”

The ground rumbled underneath them, shaking the bed violently. Tsuchi heard her books tumble to the floor, and the crashing of what must have been her mother’s dishes in the kitchen. There was a whimper from Goten as the pizza was flung to the floor. The boy went to reach for it when the two were suddenly tossed in the air as well, themselves and the bed shoved upwards through the ceiling and the roof. The twins were airbourne, then they reclaimed their control and floated in the air, staring down at their now destroyed home. A large green root, the size of a redwood tree, settled in the middle of their house, splitting the building in two.

“Oka-san!!!” Goten-kun shouted and darted forward. 

Tsuchi followed after, navigating the ruins of their home to locate their parent’s bedroom. Cracks drew themselves along the walls, and every picture frame was skewed. The floor was a barrage of broken tiles, missing wood pieces, and upturned granite while the carpet sunk into a large crevice in the earth. Mama’s door was hanging from a single hinge and swung to and fro. She always locked it.

“Mama!!!” Tsuchi cried and passed her brother. The cold air from outside permeated their house, which was now no longer a house.

The room was completely turned over. Her picture frames and vases were shattered on the floor. The overhead lamp hung lopsided and flickered, illuminating the bed that was shoved to the other side of the room and flipped on its side. Underneath, Mama laid among the debris.

The twins shot over to her, Goten moving the bed back to the floor, safely away from Chi-Chi while Tsuchi put her head to her mother’s chest. Everything sounded normal - heart steady, breathing rhythmic. 

“She’s a little bruised and lacerated but I think she’s fine,” Tsuchi told the other demi as he floated nearby.

“Man, Oka-san can sleep through anything,” he commented. 

Tsuchi nodded at him and took in the wool and floral scent of her mother. No scent of blood. 

“Let’s get her to the bed.”

Tsuchi took her mother’s upper half and Goten took the lower, moving her as slowly and gently as possible to the mattress and tucking her in as she did for them for so many nights. Paranoid, Tsuchi checked Oka-san’s vitals again and stood back, looking over the damage to their home, spotting a bit of the root as it went through Tsuchi’s room and the bathroom. It was the width of Mama’s dining table and stood nearly as tall as them. 

The twins followed the path of the root, leading them outside. They stopped as the root disappeared into the trees and beyond that was a dark mountainside that Tsuchi didn’t recall being there before. She looked down at the root and gulped as she realized that it wasn’t a mountain at all. It was the tree.

“That’s pretty gnarly,” a voice said behind them.

The duo turned to find Yamcha standing behind them, looking up at the tree that reached past the clouds. He was dressed in just a t-shirt and some boxers with his hair all mussed up. Tsuchi didn’t know that the man slept here. She tilted her head, as she stared at him, wondering if maybe there was some truth to Chai’s fears. Yamcha didn’t seem to notice the twins staring up at him, too transfixed on the behemoth in the forest.

“So, I’m no biologist, but I don’t think trees grow that fast,” he continued.

“They don’t,” another voice answered.

The three jumped and looked around, feeling out the surrounding area with their ki. There was no sign of anyone else though, and unless that person could hide their ki… 

“It’s King Kai you nincompoops!!!”

“Kaio-sama,” Yamcha exclaimed. “It’s been a while.”

“You all must listen. That tree is terrible news, and it’s called the Tree of Might. Once it takes root, it bears fruit until all of the life on that planet has been sucked dry. The planet will be a wasteland for several centuries.”

Tsuchi couldn’t imagine all of this being gone. The trees, the grass, the rivers and ponds. Slowly, everything would die. Even all of the animals and humans.

“So Earth is in danger,” Goten-kun stated.

“The Earth is doomed.” Kaio-sama said. “It’s already too late.”

“But why are you telling us? Wouldn’t it make more sense to tell our dads? Or at least Chai and Gohan?” Goten-kun cried.

“I can’t reach any of them. Goku and Vegeta are on Beerus’s planet, which is too well shrouded. Chai and Gohan are both too far into their dreams.”

_And Chai is probably passed out from drinking._

“So it’s up to us?” Tsuchi concluded.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do.”

Goten-kun furrowed his brows suddenly, making his sister gasp. The expression truly made him resemble Papa. “I don’t believe that!!” the boy exclaimed. His tail whipped angrily behind him. “We-we can put our powers together and blow that tree away!! I bet if Trunks-kun and I fused-”

“You heard Chai!! You honestly think she wont notice our ki at Capsule Corps? Or Trunks-kun leave it?”

“Kaio-sama said she’s too asleep, anyways. And besides, she said to stay away from the ship which is still in the sky.” Goten pointed upwards to prove his statement. When Tsuchi looked up she saw that he was right. The ship was still up there. “She didn’t say anything about not checking out ginormous trees.”

“Fine, I’ll go ahead to the tree, and you go get Trunks-kun so you guys can fuse and try to take the thing out.”

“Why-”

“It’s less likely she’ll notice if only one of us is there. Now go!!”

Goten-kun nodded at his sister before taking off towards West City. 

“Tsuchi, I’ll go with you.” Yamcha spoke up before she could leave. “I don’t know how much help I can be, but I can’t just let you kids handle it and sit back like an old man.” He chuckled at himself, nervously. 

The princess sighed at the delay. Yamcha probably would be a bit useless but with that enthusiastic grin on his face, she wasn’t going to tell him that he couldn’t help. “Put some pants on and we’ll go.”

******

The tree was so huge that it only took a few minutes to reach it, and it was in the middle of the forest that burned earlier that day. If the girl had to guess, she would say that it was ten miles around, and true to Kaio-sama’s word, everything around it was dead. She couldn’t even believe this was the remains of the forest they played earlier that day. According to Chai and Future Trunks, not everything was gone. In fact, most of the forest had been saved. That was no longer the case though. All of the trees were dried up, the grasses turned to tumble weeds and the animals vacant. In the place of the forest were massive roots which matched the one that leveled her house, reaching into every inch of earth that they could in an ugly tangled mess.

She turned to the older man, who was now dressed in a tee and the orange pants of his old gi. They seemed a bit worn, like he didn’t stop training altogether. That was good, at least. 

Yamcha returned her gaze and they nodded to each other. He put his hands together to the side for the time old Kamehameha Wave while she rose hers above her head to perform the Masenko that Chai passed down. They powered up their blasts and released them in a blinding array, all of their will aimed at destroying the tree. The blasts hit, letting off a small explosion that rocked the ground under them. 

The girl blinked as the smoke cleared, sure that they must have at least cut into it a bit. Tsuchi gasped. Nothing. Not one scrap of bark gone or one root damaged. Not even a burn mark. 

“Let me at it!!!” the combined voice of Goten and Trunks said behind her.

Gotenks landed between the two, arrogance as large as his golden super saiyajin three hair. He smirked, hands crossed in front of his chest. Mannerisms that were all Trunks-kun, while he cocked his head in a very Goten-esque manner and crouched in front of the tree, knocking on the side of it and kicking the roots lightly. 

“Seems like a plain ole tree to me. Nothing to the mighty Gotenks!!” he said, wiggling his tail excitedly.

“Will you get on with it before you defuse?” Tsuchi scolded, hands over her hips.

“Keep your hair on, Tsuch’.” Gotenks then raised his head back and roared as a golden ki ball gathered in his mouth. It was even brighter than what Tsuchi and Yamcha released together, but that was the point of this transformation. 

He powered the blast as much as possible then pointed it forward, ready to release.

“Don’t!!!! You’ll blow the Earth to bits!!!!!” Chai yelled behind them.

The warrior didn’t hear in time though and released the blast. Tsuchi was blinded as it barrelled towards the tree, aimed mostly for the roots that anchored it. Would it really destroy the earth? She felt her sister’s ki flare up and the blast move away. Her feet were still on the ground. When Tsuchi opened her eyes, Gotenks’ Revenge Cannon was aiming for the atmosphere and Chai was golden, her hair a bright veil over her shoulders and her normally toned body rippling with muscle. Even her tail took on the golden hue.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” She snapped.

“Destroy the vampire tree. Duh!!” Gotenks snapped back, going towards her. “Besides, I thought you were cozy with a bottle.”

_Ouch._

Chai sneered. “You could have destroyed the planet!!”

Gotenks was now less than a foot from the older demi, hands on his hips. This close, Tsuchi realized the fused boy was not too much shorter than Chai anymore, coming nearly to the woman’s chest.

“I knew what I was doing!! You wasted a perfectly good blast!!”

Tsuchi ran between the two as they got closer, putting her hands up to seperate them. They didn’t need to do this right now. She kept the most pressure on Gotenks while turning to the older demi-saiyajin. “How did you know we were here?”

“Gotenks’ emergence woke Trunks-sa since he wasn’t familiar with that energy. He woke me and I sent him to look for our dads while I followed.”

The fused boy crossed his arms again and rolled his eyes dramatically. “We don’t need our dads, and besides they’re on Beerus’s planet.”

Chai powered down. “How do you know that? And go to base, you’ll eat up less of your time.”

Gotenks huffed but must have seen the logic because he went to his base form, black eyes replacing teal and lavender-streaked black hair stood tall where his golden mane had been.

“Kaio-sama reached out to us,” Yamucha explained. “He tried for you and Gohan too but you were both asleep.”

“Like I said, cozy with a bottle,” Gotenks jeered.

Chai sighed, ignoring the jab. “I wish I had Trunks-sa come with then.”

“We don’t need Oni-san, either. Hell, Chai, if you think you can’t take out that tree, you can just leave it to me,” Gotenks smirked. 

“Right now the tree isn’t even on my radar. If you’d stretch out your senses, you’d know we have company,” Chai said.

“You know the tree is killing everything, yes?!!” Tsuchi exclaimed, waving her hand at the decay. 

“No, Tsuch’. I thought you guys were skimping on watering the forest.”

“Comp-pany?” Yamcha stuttered. “Bad enough t-to need you and M-mirai Trunks??”

“...I don’t know...”

“Do you think they came from that ship?” the man asked. The shaking in his voice took away all of the confidence he tried to exude.

“Let’s ask,” Chai smirked and floated upwards. She got several feet when the other three followed. 

The tree was even taller than it was wide, extending upwards impossibly high. It was even higher than Kami’s Lookout. Tsuchi suspected that it went past the ozone layer, poking out like the candle on a birthday cake. They stopped among the lower branches, where four strangers sat, dressed in armor that looked like what Tsuchi once saw Vegeta wear in an old picture. They were laughing amongst themselves as the Earth’s defenders gathered around them.

One particularly large man with a ruddy brown braid spoke. “You don’t think you can destroy the Tree of Might, do you?”

“He’s got a lot of ki,” Gotenks shrugged, seemingly unbothered. “Could be fun.”

“I assume you planted the tree,” Chai stated.

Another with bones decorating his neck and a long teal ponytail answered. “Yes, and anyone who gets in our way will lose their lives.”

“So you caused the earthquakes. How much did you already destroy?” Yamcha asked in disgust. Fear still radiated off of him like crazy but the ex-bandit was doing better at hiding it.

Tsuchi felt her body tremble and she looked away. This wasn’t how she was supposed to act in the face of an enemy.

“Please, you aren’t the saiya-jins, here!!!” Gotenks laughed. He got into fighting position and Tsuchi followed suit. She had hoped it would make her feel braver but no such luck. _At least I stopped trembling._

“No telling you to go home, is there?” Chai asked the younger demis.

“No way!! I haven’t seen action in forever!!” Gotenks smirked. The confidence that flowed from him was almost enough for Tsuchi to absorb a little of that energy. It was a strange quirk of her twinness - she and Goten could feed from each other’s emotions. It worked slightly with Gotenks but right now she was happy for whatever she could obtain.

“You are your fathers’ sons.”

Ahead, she could see that Chai and Yamcha still stood silently and without pose. Her sister glared at the laughing intruders and she didn’t allow her ki to radiate. How strange. Was she hiding it for a reason?

Gotenks, Yamcha and Tsuchi all charged the enemy. The aliens phased away from the heroes and the heroes phased to meet them, trading blows and kicks at a rather even rate. Unfortunately what was even for her and Gotenks was deadly for Yamcha. She watched as the man was launched downward like he was nothing. Chai dashed forward and caught him before disappearing back down to the ground, presumably to get him out of the fight. 

The younger twin blasted a short purple alien who was bouncing around the tree like a ping pong ball. He was ridiculously quick. Tsuchi let out double-handed ki blasts, covering the small alien in smoke but it did no good. _He can multiply?!_ Not one but two small purple aliens came back at her in a downward kick. Tsuchi wasn’t quick enough, catching both strikes and being sent down through the branches. 

“Taiyo-ken!!!!” she shouted, releasing a solar flare upwards. 

_This guy is fugly_ , Gotenks thought to himself as he sized up his opponent, the large man with the braid. _And his power is easily half mine._

The guy stood across from him, just smiling and crossing his arms over his chest and that was cool. If he didn’t want to get serious, well this fight was going to be lame, but at least Gotenks knew he’d win for sure. That was kind of the point, wasn't it? 

Gotenks put his arms up and powered up his Splitting Headache attack, smiling confidently to himself. _Big Bro, you’re not the only one who can cut people in half._ The fused warrior released the attack, watching it satisfaction as it fell over his opponent like a knife. _Come to think of it, both Oni-sans can use a sword. Tch, who needs a real blade when you have a ki blade?_

_Why isn’t this guy moving?_

The big guy smiled upwards, letting it inch closer to him then began spinning. He was spinning so quickly that Gotenks could hardly make the jerk out, seeing just his weird orange blur like a tornado.

“Oh shit!!!” he yelled, barely dodging as his own ki blade was flung back at him and sliced the mountain behind him. The ass actually got a few hairs from his tail. The earth shook slightly as the peak crumbled and Gotenks glared at his opponent. “So what, you ‘roided ballerina!!?”

The enemy stopped spinning and stared back, curling his lip in anger. Gotenks huffed a bit. He hadn’t seriously fused in a while. The power boost was insane but so was the energy drain. And Goten and Trunks weren’t in the best shape when they fused. At least his senses were twice as good now. 

The boy phased just before the metal-covered alien could jet through him from behind, stopping just next to it’s comrade. Gotenks really couldn’t tell if the thing was male or female, it was so covered in armor. Maybe neither? Both? Whatever.

_Goddamnit!!!_

He phased back too soon, Gotenks realized as several blasts came at him. He could practically smell their hot energy before they threw him through the used-to-be forest.

An arm stopped his trajectory. He barely opened his eyes enough to see Chai release a ki blast of her own, sending the metal alien through the mountain behind him.

“You’re MY opponent!!!” A voice roared above them.

Gotenks found himself airborne, flipping a few times before catching himself and floating in the air. _Dude, Chai is badass. Aw hell, why does thinking hurt?_ The fused boy held his head as he watched the queen throw a blast upwards to the bone-neck, blowing through the one that he had thrown at her. Less than a second later, she blasted the metal alien again as he sped out of the mountain at her. 

Something darting around caught in Gotenks’ periphery. He turned and cursed as the small, purple alien flew about, releasing ki blasts like bouncy balls. All were aimed at Tsuchi, who was barely dodging. Gotenks mustered up all of his reserves and flew to her rescue. He didn’t know what else to do - quick thinking wasn’t really his thing.. A part of his brain REALLY hated that - so the fused warrior hip-checked the other demi and pushed out a blast that engulfed all of the others. 

Damn, that was all he had. At least he got Tsuchi out of the way. How were these guys so strong? 

Dozens of thoughts flew through Gotenks brain as it was slowly diverging from his own voice to the two that made up his psyche. He thought he could taste his own blood as he fell to the earth, falling in two. The last thing the fused boy saw was a blast going through that little purple shit. He swore he heard his brother yell out “Masenko”.

 _Man, everyone knows Masenko but me_ , the Goten part of Gotenks brain thought before he completely defused.

17 Years Earlier

The boys were far too easy to mess with.

Bulma kept screaming, then dramatically snatched her hand out of the tomb, making sure to grip the smooth ball as she did so. She fell to her knees, cradling her hand (and the dragonball) to her chest.

“No… oh no!!!” she cried out.

She had to purse her lips to hide the smile on her face as Krillin and Gohan rushed to her. 

“Bulma?! Bulma - what is it?!” Krillin cried, eyes wide and shaking. She couldn’t decide if she thought it was from fear of the place they were in or fear of her being hurt. Possibly both. Everything about the situation was so unnerving.

She smiled, sparing the poor man and opened her hand. “The four star ball, of course.”

Gohan, and Raiti behind them, both laughed heartily at the heiress' antics while Krillin grimaced at her.

“Honestly, Bulma!! This place is creepy enough as is!!!” 

“Oh, keep your pants on, Krillin,” she said, pocketing the ball. “You would swear that we couldn’t have a little fun. Maybe you should have stayed at the monastery.” Besides, having fun _looked_ good. Looked casual. And it kept her spirits up. 

“Whatever, let’s get out of here before we open the wrong tomb.”

The ship that Raiti commandeered was small and cramped but it had one convenient aspect to it’s construction. The seats. There was one in front, where Raiti piloted from, and a large semi-circle seat in the back where she, Gohan, and Krillin all sat together. Nearly squished in fact - obviously, not the part she liked. Bulma liked the material. They were made of a foam-like substance which was okay in terms of comfort, but the porous fibers absorbed noise. 

She sat between the two short-stuffs, being the only one of the three without enhanced hearing, as they whispered amongst themselves about what they were really thinking. Of course, when the two Namekians revealed that they could read minds, Bulma tried to calculate quietly, if that was even possible, and think about everything else much more loudly. If that was a thing. She knew this type of mental control would be nothing to the other two. She just hoped that they thought to do so. Being the only genius was so stressful, sometimes. 

Unfortunately, the easiest thing to allow her mind to wander to was Yamucha. She let her brain go over memories of him, no matter how painful, assuming that it would give off the biggest psychic vibration while only a small part of her mind focused on their conversation. She only needed a small part of it, anyways. Another part of her brain was amused at how she was trying to think in metaphysical terms and how the other scientists would scoff at her if they knew that. 

_Too bad none of those stuffshirted assholes didn’t realize the adventures they missed out on, just because they were too narrow-minded to explore the world._

The jungles. The seas, Space. The desert… Yamucha…

Her heart ached as Gohan spoke.

“Maybe it’s normal here. Just because you don’t see that on Earth doesn’t mean it’s suspicious.”

“Being cautious of strangers is part of survival instinct though. Every creature is like that. You don’t just go out of your way to help strangers,” Krillin argued in a hushed tone.

“Every creature _on Earth_.”

Krillin shook his head just slightly. “It’s also my gut. I hear you, Gohan but…”

“We should still be careful,” Bulma agreed. “The dragonballs are powerful. They could want to steal them.”

 _Then I wont get Yamucha back. Those Saiya-jins will have won._

The bluenette knew it was stupid and childish to think of it in those terms but … she was otherwise defenseless to those powerful enough to treat life as a game. She didn’t have power, didn’t know a damned thing about fighting, but she was smart. She could seduce men since she grew tits, manipulate her way out of situations using the holes in others’ logic, calibrate alien ships, and MacGuyver a dragon radar from the signal of a single ball. If her life was a game, she was willing to play. Those Saiya-jins could kill with a single blast from their fingertips but she knew how to bring the dead back to life. And if Vegeta’s and Nappa’s kills didn’t stay dead, well then, they lost the game.

The dragon radar beeped next to her. Bulma picked it up and glanced at the coordinates.

“It’s just under us. Could you land us gently, please?” she instructed.

Raiti had been manipulating the ship without touching the controls. That telekinetic ability was awfully useful, and something to watch out for. 

“Landing,” he said, enthused.

The ship began to shoot downwards, making her hair shoot upwards as they felt their bodies being pulled down forcefully for the second time in twenty-four hours. The heiress certainly didn’t appreciate the surprise and didn’t really care if the Namekian heard her next thoughts.

_There is no way he’s this inept at landing!!!!! Not a ship he knows!!!!_

The trees came into sight startlingly quick. They reminded her of the trees from the Lorax as they brushed past the windows of the ship. A part of her expected bits of them to stick to the ship like cotton candy but they just flew past as they made their not-so-gentle landing.

Raiti opened up the ship and Bulma ran out as Krillin and Gohan followed after her. 

“What’s the rush?” the Gohan asked.

“The ball is moving!!!” Bulma cried.

“Bulma, slow down!! We don’t know this terrain!!” Krillin called after her.

She did slow. That was fine enough logic and it wasn’t moving too quickly. She looked up at the trees, remembering several years ago when a bird hijacked a dragonball her and Son-kun were going after. There were no birds at all, and weren’t those trees strange? All of the vegetation rested at the top, but none existed on the way up. The scientist in her wanted to take the time to open one of those bad boys up and examine its cell structure. 

She took a step and didn’t land on solid Earth. This scream was quite real as Bulma fell face first about a foot down, making the three behind her gasp and shout for her. Gods, she was glad that wasn’t any deeper as Bulma rose up on her knees. She felt along her aching nose and it was still intact, not broken and perfect. She glanced the radar as she got to her feet. The ball stopped moving.

“Are you okay?!” Krillin repeated.

She began looking upwards. “I’m fine but the radar says the ball is right- AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

They stood in the shadow of a large orange dinosaur with black spikes running down it’s back. At least, it resembled a dinosaur. A tyrannosaurus to be exact. Except T-Rex’s didn’t have spikes down their backs. 

It’s talons were about a foot long apiece and it had thumbs, of all things!! Between a forefinger and a thumb it held the two-star ball they’d been hunting. It leered down at them and let out a high pitched roar, something like the pterodactyls on Earth made. 

_Kami, what the fuck made you!!!?_

“Could you give us that back, please??” she shuddered.

The dinosaur then looked down at the ball in its grasp then opened its mouth and swallowed it without so much as a crunch. She felt her heart drop. What now?! The beast then turned it’s back to them and swept it’s tail. Krillin and Gohan both ducked, grabbed her down with them. The trees to their immediate right went down like dominos and then the dinosaur took off.

_Why did I leave my goddamned ray gun!!!? Or tranq gun!?!? Brilliant, Bulma!!!!_

“WAIT!!!!” Bulma yelled after it. 

She began running, screaming indecencies at it as she did so. Behind her, she could hear the footfalls of Krillin and Gohan going after her, yelling at her to stop and that it couldn’t understand her anyways. She knew that!!! 

Raiti appeared in front of her and stopped Bulma in her tracks. 

“Stop! It’s too dangerous to go any further into the forest!!” 

“You’re letting him get away!!” she screamed into the shorter man’s face. She went to walk around him and he grabbed her vest, pulling her back to where she was. Enough!! “You’re planning on stealing them aren’t you!!?” 

“I wouldn’t dream of such a thing!” he said with resolution.

And maybe he wouldn’t but everything was so damn weird here!! And he and his companion were in control of everything. The only leverage she and her friends had was the dragon radar. Only she could direct them where to go and that was where things were just too convenient. Didn’t matter though. She ran her damned mouth and now Raiti knew she was suspicious.

“If you’re lying, I’ll know.” she warned. 

There was a roar from behind and Bulma found herself nearly jumping out of her skin at the sound of it. That chimeric dinosaur returned, and it was angry. When she looked around, however, there was no dinosaur.

The roar let off again, but this wasn’t an angry sound. It was painful. Another roar echoed it, sounding farther off. All four stared in the direction of where the dinosaur had run off to earlier. No more sound came from that direction, but the rustling of the trees as wind ran along her face. It chilled her. Not the wind. The lack of noise.

“Something happened to it,” she said.

“Let’s find out,” Raiti replied and all of them returned to the ship. Bulma strapped in, a bit nervous from the Namekian’s reckless landing earlier but lo and behold, he flew perfectly fine now as they flowed over the trees, barely bothering them and towards where the beast had gone.

The path of the dinosaur was easy to follow, marked by smashed trees and broken crust that created a trail. Eventually that trail disappeared into a thick fog that came on suddenly. Raiti angled the airship upwards to try to go above it but the fog stacked high up in the air, shrouded everything around it. There was a loud roar from below, like a waterfall.

“Likely, the sound came from here,” the Namekian sighed. 

The aircraft descended closer to the water, and although Bulma feared that he’d get too close, she put on a neutral face as she peered through the front window. As they crept closer, something ruddy and white poked up through the fog. It had defined structure and hollow areas and 

_Oh my god…_

“That must be it’s skull,” Raiti said.

More bones emerged from below. A set of ribs, large enough to fit eight of the aircraft they flew in, a torso, legs. Bulma realized with horror that it was not a dense fog beneath them but the steam from the lake they flew over. 

“The skeleton is completely intact,” she said.

“Yes. This swamp can melt the skin off of any living creature that falls in,” Raiti informed. He began circling around the skeleton with the ship, giving everyone a clear look at the dangers. “Even the fumes can kill with a single breath.”

Bulma clutched the dragon radar in her hand. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I had no idea.”

Raiti looked up at her kindly. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Hey guys, we have a problem,” Krillin said from the window. He’d been looking through it with a bit of determination for a while now. “If that monster is dead, then the dragon ball must be somewhere on the bottom of that swamp.”

“Then how do we get it back?” Gohan exclaimed.

Raiti shook his head. “It’s impossible. We have one protective suit for underwater operations but the material isn’t strong enough to withstand the swamp. 20 seconds then it begins to melt.”

“I’ll do it, then,” Gohan announced.

“What?!!?” 

“We have to retrieve the dragon ball at all costs, right?!”

This kid!! Gohan reminded the heiress of Goku more and more each day. So honest, and earnest and willing to do what needed to be done. And to think, when they were kids, she had little issue with Goku putting himself in danger.

“I mean, yes but -”

“Then all I have to do is resurface within 20 seconds. It’s at least worth a try!”

Bulma looked down at the demi-saiyajin in disbelief. The logic was sound enough and yes, she desperately wanted Yamcha back but she couldn’t ask Gohan to risk his life. She swore to Chi-Chi that she’d bring him back in one piece.

“We have rope made of the same material. We can tie to him and pull him out before the 20 seconds are up,” Raiti pointed out.

What argument could she possibly make? Bulma was fairly sure that even if she said no, Gohan would just slip on the suit and go anyways.

She put on her best smile and nodded. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Raiti opened up a drawer to the right of the controls and pulled out a folded suit and handed it to Gohan. He unfolded it - it was thick and blue and white - and began to undress just as shamelessly as his father would. Bulma immediately turned and stared out the window, hoping Krillin had the sense to do the same thing. _These Sons, I swear!!!_ She watched as the ship edged closer to the skeleton, studying the water for anything she could glean other than what Raiti had already told him. Water, though, like most liquids, had to be chemically studied. Once again, she wished that she was thinking as much as a scientist as she was thinking like an adventurer, when she packed for this trip.

“Open up the seat, Gohan, and you’ll find a helmet. Under that should be the rope,” Raiti said suddenly.

“I forgot you guys could read minds,” the boy laughed. “I was wondering how I would protect my head.

 _We can’t forget that_ , Bulma thought, in as much of a whisper as her brain could manage.

Once he was properly suited and the rope tied around his waist, Raiti opened the lower deck just enough to let the boy out. There was definitely a smell - a mixture of rotten eggs and rotting fruit, as though someone mixed sulfur and nerve gas. She couldn’t help but crinkle her nose. Krillin also grimaced, holding the other end of the rope tightly with it partially wound around his hand. He looked up at Bulma with a quiet concern, to which she nodded her agreement. Neither of them liked this, but there was currently no better option. Gohan was the fastest.

_Odd that suit perfectly fits a child though._

She forced herself to think of Yamcha’s smile, swallowing down the lump that caught in her throat. _Just think of him._ Bulma looked down at the dragon radar, noting the ball’s location. How ridiculously convenient.

“It says it’s right below us,” she told Gohan. “Just make it quick.”

“We’ll start to pull you up at 13 seconds,” Raiti added.

Gohan nodded, a determined grin on his face. Damn how he looked like Goku in that moment, and Bulma found herself wishing for the company of her friend. Somehow, that goofball made everything better. 

In seconds, the boy dove from the platform and into the water. The two Earthlings began to count up to 13, the sound like a calming chant, as if to convince themselves that they had some semblance of control over the situation. 

“3”

“4”

The rope seemed to stay together and loose. Gohan at least hadn’t reached the end of it yet, though they didn’t know for sure that it would reach to the bottom. Not even Raiti knew.

“5”

The water began to bubble suspiciously around the rope, as though it were eating through the material. Bulma’s heart began to flutter and she thought for a moment that she might faint.

_Keep counting!! You’re a badass scientist, damnit!!!_

“6”

Krillin stopped counting suddenly and began pulling up the rope, furiously.

“7”

The rope snapped, flinging upwards with nothing on the end of it but frayed edges.

_NO!!!!!!_

“GOHAN!!!!!!!!!” Bulma screamed down into the water.

_8_

“GOHAN!!!!” Krillin bellowed, joining her frantic attempt.

_9_

“GOHAN!!!!!!”

_10_

_I should have never let him go down!!! Never!!! I love Yamucha but I wouldn’t trade Gohan for him!!!_

“GOHAN!!!!!”

_11_

The water began to ripple as tears flooded from Bulma’s eyes. Her heart wretched.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this!!!

_12_

“GOHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.

There was a light emerging from under the water. She let it give her hope, and let that hope fill her. Hope got her this far. The willingness to keep trying got her this far.

_13_

The water bubbled more violently than ever. There was a flash of orange then Gohan burst through the water and flew up into the ship. The suit he wore was tattered and there were burn marks where his flesh was exposed to the water. Those would have to be treated. 

He raised his hand proudly with the one-star ball. 

“I got it!!!”

Bulma wiped her eyes, giving the ball a cursory glance. She wanted to wrap Gohan in her arms and not let him go anywhere. _Great, I’ve become a worrisome auntie on this trip._ Instead, she grabbed Krillin around the shoulders and rubbed her cheek on the side of the poor man’s head, afraid to show her tears or touch the suit.

“Bulma… you’re squeezing too hard…” the monk gasped.

The four had decided that three out of seven was a good start, and returned to the Namekian’s home to treat Gohan’s wounds - which Raiti made him look good as new - and have dinner before going to bed. The next day, Bulma roused them bright and early to continue their search. In this, Zaacro accompanied them, claiming that Raiti had some work to do in the garage today.  
Namek had a very diverse ecosystem, making it both interesting and very much like Earth. They had found the three-star ball in a white sand desert with harsh winds, where it spun around in the center of a tornado. The seven-star ball was inside a castle atop a dense jungle where the flora was made up of the bodies of giant carnivorous birds. Specifically, that ball was the jewel for a giant’s earring, making Bulma feel more like she was stealing the golden goose rather than retrieving dragon balls. 

The next dragonball led the team to an icy cavern where Bulma stood freezing while Krillin and Gohan used their ki to melt the ice around the two-star ball. She clattered her teeth, cursing both the thin black material under her yellow jumper and the boys’ complete ignorance of the cold. Gohan was half-alien and that was fine and well, but how come Krillin wasn’t freezing too!??

_Shouldn’t we both be getting hypothermia!!_

“Come on, guys!!! Turn up the heat and let’s go!!!” she exclaimed.

“If we do, we’ll burn through the cavern floor and the whole thing will collapse,” Gohan replied.

Bulma frowned at him. He was right but she was cold damnit!!! And besides, wasn’t she supposed to be the brain!!?

“OKAY!!! JUST GET ON WITH IT!!!!”

_Ugh!! This cannot be good for my skin… it’s slick… what does frostbite feel like anyways!?!? Does Zaacro…_

_Where the hell is Zaacro??_

Bulma turned and found the Namekian had vanished. She began walking around and calling for him while the guys continued to free the ball. Where would he even go?

“The second to last one!!!” Gohan cried.

Bulma turned quickly to find Krillin holding the dragon ball triumphantly, him and Gohan with the biggest shit-eating grins on their faces. She rushed to them to join in their excitement.

“One more to go!!!” Bulma cried, hopping on the cavern ground.

_That much closer to home. And to Yamucha._

They laughed and cajooled together. All day, they’d been talking about their own beds, seeing Earth again, seeing their families again. Bulma hopped on the ground one more time, then fell on her butt as the ground began shaking. Tiny chunks of ice fell from above her head and the walls began to crack open. She didn’t hop that much, she knew it. And she knew the boys were keeping tabs on how much heat they were applying to the ice. Why?!? Why did stuff like this keep happening!!

She got to her feet as the shaking became more violent. More ice fell around them. This cavern was coming down! 

Krillin led them running in the direction they originally came from then he skidded to a stop. Gohan and Bulma almost collided with him when she saw that their exit was cut off by three feet of missing floor. They immediately turned and began back the other direction when the floor gave from under them. Bulma felt like this was a recurring theme. Falling. 

It was cold and dark and the wind whipped around her as she fell. The woman was pretty sure this was how most creation myths began, except this wasn’t a beginning. This was going to be an end.


	15. So, Lets Just Get It Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who came in on the scene at the end of the last chapter? What's with the giant tree? Is it really the Tree of Might? Guess you gotta read to find out =p

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm really sorry for the insane amount of delay I put you through. Work has been nuts and I struggled a bit with whether or not to write certain aspects of this. Also, this will be the first chapter that does not include a flashback. As I noted before, those will be reworked into their own prequel, "Path of Fire". There's a chance that I will not only remove the flashbacks from previous chapters but rework the published chapters so that they read cleaner and some of the early chapters might be combined so that I'm hitting 3000 words at least for each chapter. Don't ask me why that matters to me. I'm neurotic. Let me know in the comments if you think I should clean up the chapters or leave them be. Also, if you enjoyed the chapter. Or if you didn't. Or if you think I should e** a d***. Readers choice.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy and that this was worth the wait. This is the first chapter that had my beta's eyes on it before it got published. Thank you so much RoyalBlueRoses!!! And if you guys don't read her work already, you're missing out!!!
> 
> Also, title comes from "Snow White Queen" by Evanescence

Chai watched her brother touch down, glaring at the purple alien that he’d shot his signature move at. There wasn’t much left of it - certainly no life. She began to smile at the evidence that her brother hadn’t lost all of his spunk, then remembered who else was here. The kids...

_Maybe I shouldn’t encourage such behavior..._

Near him was a severely bruised Tsuchi, on her knees and gasping for breath. Trunks-kun and Goten-kun were also on the ground, somewhat banged up but not in nearly as bad of condition. They were too worn to maintain fusion, as their separation indicated, but Chai bet they could still fight individually. 

“Boys, get Tsuchi and Yamcha outta here. They’ll just get hurt.”

They nodded, the older boy going to find where Chai took Yamcha earlier while Goten knelt by his twin. The girl hadn’t looked up once; Chai could only imagine what she was feeling but her safety came first. 

_After this, though, I can’t let her slack off._

The girl got to her feet and wiped at her eyes. _You wouldn’t believe I was like you once, would you, Tsu-chan?_ Goten hugged his twin, taking her to the air in his embrace. Trunks followed, helping a slumped over Yamcha to stay steady in the air. At least he was conscious again.

“I want you all to stay home,” the demi commanded.

“C’mon, Chai!!” Trunks-kun whined.

“You all promised!”

The boy sneered but followed her instruction nonetheless. They took to the sky until they became a set of blurs. Good, time to get serious. Chai tried her voice but her dry mouth prevented her speech. The demi cleared her throat and tried again.

“Gohan-kun, can you take out that tree?”

The man glanced at his older sister, then over at the behemoth that reached up high into the sky. He held a determined look on his face, eyes narrowed and mouth turned down in a frown. It was in these moments that Otouto-san looked the most like their father. 

“Well, Bro-han? This isn’t a math equation!” 

“Aw, Chai-chan. I haven’t gotten that weak,” he answered sheepishly. From here though, she could see how his eyes darted downward. He shot to the ground where he steadily rose his power. If Gohan could be trusted for anything in battle, it was exercising self-control. 

A purple blur headed down towards him and Chai flew to intercept. It was the double of the other purple alien that Gohan had killed. Luckily for the demi, it had low power compared to her, and was so focused on it’s target that it didn’t notice the woman until she’d headbutted it out of orbit and sent it barrelling down next to her brother.

_Oh… oh fuck, my head._

_“Incoming!!”_ she shouted.

Gohan side-stepped the alien and glanced up at his sister, shaking his head, to which Chai smirked and gave a thumbs up. He turned back to his work, and got into a kamehameha stance. 

A power suddenly appeared. It made the others look tiny, and sent a shiver down Chai’s spine. It wasn’t that it was so powerful that terrified her.. But there was certainly something wrong with it. 

“Chai?” Gohan shouted up, powering down his blast. “Sissy, you okay?”

“I got it. Just get rid of that tree,” she shouted down before taking off in the direction of the power. 

She couldn’t quite decipher what it was about the ki that unnerved her. It didn’t flow right… No it wasn’t that… It was _touched_ with something. It felt strange. The closer she got to it, the more it made her skin crawl. It was like the sensation of something touching her without her permission. It made her not want to get near, to be honest, but he had to be dealt with. She was sure he had something to do with the tree. 

A large man quickly came into view, with dark hair, and olive drab armor, the likes of which she hadn’t seen since Vegeta and Nappa touched down on Earth. He had a brown tail that wrapped around his thick waist, that would have indicated his saiyajin status, if his armor hadn't given him away first. That wasn’t what really shocked her though. It was that he was the spitting fucking image of her father. 

The man narrowed his eyes and cocked his head as a small smirk formed over his lips. The young queen had seen her dad give this expression to several opponents, but she’d never been on the receiving end of it. 

“You _look_ just like her. But you _can’t_ be her,” he said. 

His voice had more of a sneer in it, more of a hiss. Chai anchored to that sound. It helped remind her that she wasn’t face-to-face with Goku. 

“ 'Her?' ” the demi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Gine… my brother’s mate.”

Chai gulped slowly. Maybe she could turn this in her favor. “Bardock was your brother?”

One of his eyebrows shot up. “Yes.” He then glanced at the tail that wrapped around her own waist. “Clearly, you are a saiyajin.”

“Bardock and Gine are my grandparents. I suppose that makes you my great-uncle.”

He floated closer to her. That creeping sensation made her chest heave, and her stomach do flips. She wanted to scrape it off her skin, but there was nothing to scrape away. He was massive, tall as her father and just as broad, though not quite as thick. She’d never really considered how imposing Goku physically was before this moment. To her, the man was a powered up teddy bear. Her Papa.

 _I cannot let his appearance deter me from fighting. He’s not my dad._

He didn’t smell like him, and his ki certainly didn’t feel like his. Papa smelled like sunshine and pollen, mixed with that spicy scent all of the saiyajins had. This man smelled like iron, and wetness.

In seconds, the man was before her and his massive hand around her throat. Chai scratched at his skin as she tried to pry his fingers from around her neck. She managed to pull one finger from her neck, and get a bit more breath, then another pain shot up her spine as he grabbed her tail with his other hand and squeezed it. She screamed out hoarsely, and tears dotted her eyes.

“You got more fight than her though,” the man chuckled. “Gine wasn’t a fighter really at all, but she was a beauty and a damned good cook. Ignored all of my advances but my brother saves her one time and she’s in his bed, with a mark on her shoulder.”

“Sounds… like a personal… problem,” Chai choked out. 

The saiyajin responded by squeezing her throat more, making Chai wheeze for breath. Her focus was faltering and it was getting harder to think and move. That hand around her tail wasn’t helping at all. 

He then leaned forward and sniffed along her neck, then released a deep purr. “You’re unclaimed, and unscented. A bit boozed up though,” he chuckled, before moving his mouth very close to her ear, and running that tight fist down her tail. No one had touched it in years… It ran a shiver up Chai’s spine that she despised. “So… have you simply attracted no mates? Or are they simply too weak to claim you?”

“F-fuck yo-u,” the demi sputtered as bravely as she could. The stranger only laughed. 

“Glad we have the same idea. We’ll destroy planets, eat delicious food, and drink delicious wine. With both Frieza and King Vegeta dead, there is no one to tell us what to do. Saiyajins roam the universe free.” He moved so that their noses touched, and from here she could smell how much he wasn’t like her father. “Besides, you’re the first female saiyajin I’ve seen in fifty years. Most other races can’t survive a good saiyajin pounding.”

The woman’s eyes widened. This was horribly familiar. She suddenly saw Nappa in front of her eyes again, whispering that she’d soon be of breeding age. She worked through the pain and lack of oxygen as terror had her pulling at his fingers with desperation. He squeezed her tail even harder, making Chai scream again as white hot pain shot up her spine once more. 

_**How** is he so strong?_

“This planet is already dead. Would you really rather stay here, than come with me?”

“Get your hands off of her,” a familiar voice said from the side. Her brain couldn’t quite match it though. She was losing too much oxygen. 

Her father’s doppelganger took his face from hers and glanced at the newcomer. “What do you want?”

Chai stole a glance over, and felt her heart drop. This wasn’t the plan.

“Gohan…”

His stare was fixed on the nameless saiyajin. “Let Chai go.”

“I must politely decline,” the saiyajin smirked.

“Don't underestimate me,” her brother said before power whipped around him and outward, black hair rising to turn gold, and onyx eyes becoming teal. 

The girl’s heart sank further. He hadn’t continued his training as he said he would after their latest battle with Freiza. In fact, he felt even weaker than he had at that time. 

_Gohan… Dad and Vegeta-san aren’t going to be around forever… to save us…_

The saiyajin’s expression did not change. He took in the transformation but didn’t seem phased by it, as was the reaction Chai came to expect from others. She didn’t have time to be surprised, however, as he quickly let go of Chai’s tail and throat all at once, throwing her at Otouto-san. The young man caught her against his chest, making him gasp before asking,

“Are you ok-”

The saiyajin phased behind them suddenly and kicked Gohan in the square of his back, sending both hurtling down towards the Earth. The shockwave travelled to the already hurting Chai, knocking the air out of her as they fell away from each other and crashed down. The impact sent the air rushing out from her lungs again, and as she regained her breath, Chai’s ears were wracked with the sound of her brother’s pained cries.

“AHHHH!!!!!!”

The girl got to her knees to see the saiyajin standing over Gohan, one boot pressed into Otouto-san’s back. 

“Gohan!!!!!” the woman cried, but both seemed to ignore her. Her “uncle” was staring down at the young man with a grin when he spoke.

“Seems you’ve lived a cushy Earthling life for a bit too long,” the saiyajin chuckled. “No worries, I’ll have you living a life befitting of a saiyajin soon enough.”

Chai got painfully to her feet, throbbing sensations shooting up her extremities and into the base of her spine. The Earth felt like it suddenly spun faster. She barely took a step towards them when she froze. Several feet away, Gohan began screaming again, but not because of anything the saiyajin was doing. Emerging from underneath the waist of his shirt was a furry brown appendage that Chai hadn’t seen her brother with in several years. 

“How?” she croaked.

“Saiyajin tails grow back in times of danger and during the mating season.” the man explained, matter-of-factly. “As long as you aren’t fully matured. I’d be screwed if I lost my tail, but seems your brother has a few years to go.”

_And he hasn’t had a tail in nearly 20 years. He won't be able to walk with the thing, much less fight._

Saiyajin maturity must have occurred later than Earthlings. It made sense… her dad and Vegeta were both nearly 50 and looked in their 30’s still. She looked barely 20, herself, even though she was nearly 30. Chai stared at the invading alien. He must have been 80 and was barely gaining age lines in his face. If she hadn’t been so close to him moments ago, she wouldn’t have even noticed. 

“Shall I show you the best way to use it? Your tail,” the saiyajin laughed. 

He was holding one hand behind his back but brought it forth, a glowing orb levitating above it. Chai gasped.

_No..._

“You know what this is then?”

The woman gathered all of her strength and lunged at him, determined to knock it from his hand before he could launch it into the sky. Just before she could make contact and fell the bastard, a large hand smacked her upside the head and sent Chai into a nearby boulder. She felt blood drip down from her nose as she pushed her face away from the granite.

_He isn’t even Super Saiyajin! How is he so powerful?_

There was a glow behind her, and Chai immediately hid her face in the darkness of the rock. It was not only the urge to look but how much the light hurt right now. Her blood pulsed in her head. She could feel it coursing through her veins, and the strong urge to turn and look at the light once again. She distracted herself by mentally going over the saiyajins on Earth. Neither Trunks had a tail… as long as they stayed away from the fight. Goten and Tsuchi knew not to look but.. They weren’t expecting a moon tonight. They didn’t know not to go outside tonight. Her heart thudded in her chest. The twins were with Mom, and Yamacha. What if they looked up and changed? The image of her mother’s mangled body entered her mind and Chai nearly threw up. She couldn’t worry about that right now. She wasn’t there. At least she and Gohan knew not to…..

A deep roar bellowed, stilling Chai’s heart. She kept her eyes closed as the ground shook. Every step Gohan took in his Oozaru form was the cause of an earthquake. Chai could feel that he was several feet from her, and she felt that the invader slinked off somewhere, no doubt to avoid transforming himself. 

Her brother roared again, sending a chill down Chai’s spine. She almost didn’t notice two weak powers appeared on either side of her. 

_Thought I took care of you two._

She snickered as their hands grabbed for her. “The lady doth protest.”

Chai swiftly reached inside of herself and touched her most painful memories, letting the rage and torment take her over. With a high-pitched scream, the demi embraced Super Saiyajin, her energy pushing those two powers away from her. Her enhanced senses told her that she blasted both far away and into the earth. Their ki didn’t disappear entirely, but she was sure they’d stay down for a while now.

A new smell filled her nostrils, that spiced smell of a saiyajin blended with a bonfire. It overtook the Earthling musk, making the ape not smell quite like her brother.

_“Gohan!!”_

There was a whoosh of air as some unseen fist or foot came down, and Chai jumped high into the sky, not daring to open her eyes.

Another blast of air hit her body as she barely ducked out of the way of his paw. Chai took off in the opposite direction, feeling the air vibrate every time he jumped and stomped. 

_I have to take him out. I know I do. I just..._

Chai darted downward as she felt that giant paw come for her again. From this position, the woman chanced a quick glance then dipped lower in time to avoid flying into a root that jutted upwards. She saw that she could fly at that altitude for several feet and closed her eyes again. 

“GOHAN!!!!!”

The woman hadn’t gotten too far when the root she flew under got ripped from the Earth, making debris flurry around her as she sped forward, hoping to avoid Gohan a little longer. What the hell was she going to do though? 

A downward strike flung her into the Earth. Chai’s mouth and nose filled with dirt but the adrenaline in her veins kept her moving. She got up quickly, eyes open from the shock, and dashed between the giant’s legs before closing her eyes again. Just after she took to the air, she felt the Earth tremble again. 

_Every time he falls or jumps, it has to be damaging the Earth more. I can’t keep this going…_

She froze and turned, casting her gaze downwards to avoid looking at the moon. Slowly the demi opened her eyes. She pursed her lips and forced her hands towards him, releasing a barrage of blasts against her own brother. 

Smoke gathered around the giant ape’s head from the blasts. Chai thought that perhaps she slowed him down and although she didn’t like the idea, she told herself that it was for the best. As she glanced up through the curtain of her bangs, the pang of two giant fists bashing into the ape’s chest preceded the sound of him roaring up towards the moon. 

“Gohan!! It’s Chai!!”

Her plea was met with a smack, sending Chai face first into another invading root. She felt her body indent it, and something along her hairline crack. 

There was another roar, close enough that she could feel the warm air emitted from his mouth. 

_His mouth. Fuck!!_

Chai opened one eye, and saw a deep red light emerge from Gohan’s mouth. She snapped her eyes closed again and darted towards the right where a giant paw met her. She first felt a rib crack from the impact of his swinging hand, then she was shot through the air and smacked into something. The rib snapped, making Chai cry out as she fell downwards. She didn’t feel the Earth catch her, but instead fell for several feet, her descent broken by a splash and water filling her mouth. 

Her eyes snapped open, and Chai shot her body upwards, spitting water out of her mouth and coughing. The golden transformation began to blink away, but Chai thought of her destroyed kingdom, boosting it back into existence. She hacked up more water, concentrating on maintaining her form and keeping her head above water. 

A large hand grabbed Chai from the back of the shirt and she didn’t feel it quickly enough. She was dragged from the water, her body still convulsing on the liquid in her lungs. Too distracted to fight back as she was tossed roughly against a rock. 

There were rock formations all around her, and a ghastly blue glow that came from the moonlight that cast down into the deep crevice in the Earth. Her head screamed at her but Chai tried to rise anyways. The broken rib shot pain through her torso, forcing her onto her back.

The earth around her shook as an angry howl ripped through the air.

“Gohan…” Chai whimpered to the sky.

There was a hearty laugh. One she normally attached to fond memories around the table. Except this man was not her father. 

“After your brother kills everyone, you’ll have no reason to stay. You’ll only have Turles.”

“So, that’s your name?” she rasped. 

He stared down at her, eyes glazing over in lust. It was not an expression she wanted to see on the face of any of her family members.

“I can almost pretend you’re her,” Turles said, calmly. 

Chai only stared at him. The sickness she could detect in his scent was beginning to make sense. The saiyajin was sick in the head.

“This planet will die, and you’re probably the last female saiyajin. I am not letting you go to waste,” he smirked. 

In a millisecond, he was on top of her, using his enormous weight to hold Chai down. A man with the face of her father. He pinned her hands at her sides and Chai jerked against him violently, screaming out. She had managed to push one of his arms upward. Escape was possible. She couldn’t believe it. 

Turles released her wrist then struck into her ribs with that same hand. His fingers dug between the broken rib and the one below it, making Chai scream louder than the beast pounding on the earth. She gasped out for air and tears came down her cheeks as she stopped her bucking. His dark eyes glinted evilly as he sniffed her face and neck, breathing in deeply and purring. 

“When I eat the fruit of the tree, I will be the strongest man in the universe. Other planets bore poor fruit but this one has the sweetest soil. Are you truly going to deny me? Do you think your saiyajin instincts will let you?” he whispered.

_So that was the reason the damned thing was planted. Why here?! Why always the Earth!!?_

“The strongest man? You wish!!” she growled. “Even if you were, I wouldn’t take you for a mate.”

“I don’t need your permission!!!” he snarled, face inches from hers. She became incredibly aware of how close his canines were to her flesh. Chai’s heart thundered in her chest and she urged it to calm, even as she attempted to thrash about. She was in so much pain though, her body exhausted, and he was so heavy. In fact, it felt like his weight was starting to crack the lower rib.

His breath was hot on her skin. Chai wasn’t sure how half-bonds work - after all, nothing he did would make her complete the mating bond - but she was sure she’d still be his in some capacity. 

He laughed low in his throat, as his tail reached up and wrapped around Chai’s neck to pull her face down and expose her flesh more. 

_No. This isn’t happening. This isn’t fucking happening!!_

Chai bucked against Turles again, feeling a lump in her throat. She hadn’t wanted to be saved since she was a little girl. She worked hard to not need saving. 

_PAPA!!! PAPA GODDAMN YOU!!!! YOU JUST HAD TO LEAVE, DIDN’T YOU!!!?_

His tongue flicked against her skin and Chai felt her body squirm in disgust. Tears pooled in her eyes, which she cursed. She felt her ki involuntarily power down.

Papa wasn’t coming. Vegeta wasn’t coming. They were both on Beerus’ planet. And Trunks-sa, she sent him on a wild goose chase, unwittingly.

_Trunks…_

Turles’ breath was hot as his open mouth pressed around a portion of her neck. He wasn’t biting her yet, which she was thankful for, but deeply confused. Claims could be completed in seconds. She felt her inner Oozaru claw around inside her, a wild fight or flight instinct clouding her brain. The need to escape grew inside her. She refused. Refused to be mated to a lesser saiyajin.

“NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! she heard herself shriek.

Teeth pricked against her skin. Chai bit her lip to keep from gasping, and clasped her eyes closed, a warm tear streaked down her cheek as she felt his teeth pierce hard enough to draw blood. Sounds tried to emerge from her throat, and in this moment she hated her body. It… it felt good...The beginning of his claim. Slowly… he was doing this slowly on purpose... _I will kill you. I will fucking kill you._ Chai tried to raise her head, but his tail pulling her neck down was firm. She wasn’t going anywhere. Not unless she broke her neck.

His lower canines began to dig into her flesh as well to complete the mark. All he would have to do is bite her completely and suck on the blood, transferring his ki to her in exchange. Again, she felt her body tighten up in a way it shouldn’t have. Chai screamed wordlessly again. 

An instant later, Turles’ mouth left her neck as he roared at the night. His weight on her left her body. Before Chai could open her eyes she heard a familiar voice growl:

“Not yours.”


End file.
